x
Breaking News
More () »

Ohio Congressman tries new approach in attempt to land Amazon

Could New York's loss be Ohio's gain?

AKRON, Ohio — Could one city’s loss be another’s gain?

Congressman Tim Ryan hopes so, tweeting Tuesday, that he will do everything in his power “to get Amazon to locate 25,000 jobs” in Northeast Ohio.

“You’re going to have all the research, all the workforce, all the infrastructure you’re ever going to need to grow your company,” Rep. Ryan said.

He believes there should have been a regional approach to landing the company's coveted "HQ2."

Instead of cities acting on their own, Ryan says city leaders could have sold Amazon on a regional “tech belt.”

“Maybe Cleveland couldn’t do it alone, but Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, Pittsburgh—that’s a whole new ball game,” he said.

But it may be too little too late.

In a statement to Channel 3 News, a spokesman for Amazon said the jobs that would have gone to New York will now be spread across other bases.

He also points out Amazon has already created more than 6,000 jobs in Ohio.

Still, Akron entrepreneur Ian Schwarber believes they may be missing out on their potential to make an impact.

“They’d come in here and inspire the place,” he said.

Less than a year ago, Schwarber launched a new company that taught tech skills. He is already selling it.

It is evidence of what can happen when businesses take a chance.

“The way we did this was to be big, think big, and go after the big companies and say, ‘Look, this is a way to change the culture of what you do,’” Schwarber said.

Rep. Ryan has written a letter to Jeff Bezos, but so far, there is no word on a meeting or conversation.

“We could compete if they just take a good hard look and gave us a chance,” Ryan said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out