Phoenix could be in the mix for Amazon's second quarters despite its proximity to Seattle. Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has the pick of the litter when it comes to where it wants to locate a second corporate headquarters to go along with its Seattle base. Plans call for a $5 billion investment, 50,000 jobs and 8 million square feet of real estate. The bidding could include plenty of incentives and tax breaks for Amazon and its billionaire CEO Jeff Bezos. If Amazon goes for a more centrally located second base that puts markets such as Atlanta, Toronto, Dallas and Chicago in the mix. That is a similar play book Boeing (NYSE: BA) used in its move to Chicago from Seattle. If Amazon is focused on technology talent then the likes of Austin, Boston or California come into play. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) landed a big campus in Austin. Silicon Valley is expensive but has unparalleled technology talent. Amazon has operations in Santa Monica and CEO Jeff Bezos owns a big Beverly Hills estate. But Santa Monica doesn’t have the big space Amazon is looking for. “Santa Monica does not have enough space for their requirements,’ said Jennifer Taylor, the city’s economic development administrator. But there are some other potential site selection considerations for Amazon that could flip the expected script. We run through several of them. Phoenix If Amazon’s second headquarters has a focus more on back-of-the-house operations then a market such as Phoenix could come into play. Early odds by economic developers question whether Amazon would stay in the West for a second home base. Greater Phoenix Economic Council President and CEO Chris Camacho points out Amazon already has a big footprint here. “Amazon has a significant presence in the Greater Phoenix region, with more than 5,000 employees working in logistics and distribution, finance and e-commerce,” Camacho said. “This market is ripe with key talent coming out of leading postsecondary institutions, and is well positioned for companies to go to scale.” Amazon has distribution centers in Phoenix, Goodyear and Chandler and IT and other offices in Tempe. Sprawling Phoenix and suburbs such as Tempe and Chandler also have plenty of land for a new campus development. The region also has Arizona State University, it’s growing research capabilities and big student body. ASU has already worked out a big employee education deal with Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and was part of the region’s push to get a $6 billion Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) battery factor that landed in Nevada. ASU has been a big driver of other companies to Tempe. That includes State Farm, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) and Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS). “Amazon has a strong presence in Tempe and in our region. A headquarters in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area would benefit the entire area with new, high quality jobs, an investment in new facilities, and the growth of the tech sector in the area. Tempe will work with Greater Phoenix Economic Council to offer a site in our city to be considered, alongside any others from our region,” said Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. Amazon lists proximity to the mass transit as a key factor in its quick turnaround requests for proposals. That puts a focus on locations on or near Metro light rail in Phoenix and Tempe. That could include a development site next to ASU’s Tempe campus. But Rommie Mojahed, director of retail leasing and sales investment with SVN Desert Commercial Advisors, also sees some merit in some East Valley locations. “Locally, my top three locations would be the Southeast Valley: Chandler (Price Road Corridor), Gilbert (Rivulon), Mesa (Gateway),” Mojahed said. Those suburban areas don’t have transit. The Price Road area is already home to Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) and a last-mile fulfillment center for Amazon. Rivulon is a big 250-acre development at Gilbert Road and the Loop 202. And Mojahed said Amazon could have a blank slate for a development near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. ASU has its Polytechnic campus near there as well research park space. Apple’s big data center is also located near there. New Jersey Amazon has multiple offices in New Jersey and both CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife novelist MacKenzie Bezos both went to Princeton University. They donated $15 million there in 2011. Newark International Airport has plenty on international and business class flights. It’s also across the river from New York. The region isn’t cheap but has deep talent pools in technology, finance and business. If Amazon looks east, New Jersey could factor in as much as Boston or the Washington D.C. area where Bezos owns the Washington Post. Kentucky / Cincinnati Amazon has been frightening Macy’s (NYSE: M) with its move into department store realms and now Kroger (NYSE: KR) with its acquisition of Whole Foods. So why not scare them more by moving into their Cincinnati neighborhood? Actually, Amazon is already building a $1.5 billion airport logistics center in northern Kentucky across the Ohio River. Jack Mazurek, communications director for the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, said the agency doesn’t comment on site selections. “However, it’s clear Amazon and Kentucky already enjoy a significant relationship as Amazon is one of the leading employers in the state’s distribution and logistics industry. Early this year, the company and state jointly announced Amazon’s nearly $1.5 billion Prime Air Shipping hub in northern Kentucky,” he said. Kentucky — which might also be in the running for a $1.6 billion new U.S. auto plant from Toyota (NYSE: TM) and Mazda — already has 10,000 full-time employees in Kentucky and that doesn’t include part-time and seasonal workers. That brings th total to more than 40,000, according to state officials. The air hub — which is akin to ones run by United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and FedEx (NYSE: FDX) — will add another 2,700 workers to the Amazon’s Kentucky headcount. Amazon is also looking to put high-tech drone delivery systems at the air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The New York Times has a much read story picking Denver as the best spot for Amazon to land its second headquarters. The article cites Denver’s technology industry, cost and cultural cohesion with Seattle. But real estate deal maker Mojahed looks at another Western market — Utah. “Utah has experienced huge growth in tech and distribution,” Mojahed said. Utah has a pretty impressive technology roster including Adobe Systems (Nasdaq: ADBE), Electronic Arts Inc.(NASDAQ: EA) and Overstock.com (Nasdaq: OSTK). Florida Hurricane Irma and it’s mammoth size isn’t going to keep Florida out of the Amazon mix. The prime economic development group in Miami said this weekend they would bid for Amazon even as South Florida and the entire state of Florida was bracing for Hurricane Irma. “As a policy, The Miami-Dade Beacon Council does not comment on projects that it may or may not be working on. Given the public nature of the Amazon RFP, it is our intent to submit a proposal demonstrating Miami’s unique strengths, infrastructure, and talent resources. We will work in partnership with our state and local economic development partners,” said Michael Finney, president and CEO of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the region’s economic development group. Florida doesn’t have income taxes and the Miami area is home to the Latin American headquarters of a number of U.S. and international companies. Two other big Seattle companies — Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) have their Latin American headquarters in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Florida in particular would also offer a bilingual workforce as would Arizona and Texas. Amazon has distribution operations in other parts of the state. Cities such as Tampa and Orlando have some of the same costs, back-office and logistical operations as Phoenix. Mike Sunnucks writes about stocks and financial markets, real estate, government and sports business. Home of the Day Sponsor Listing View-Rich Southwest Sophistication in Paradise Valley See All Homes of the Day Industries Commercial Real Estate