<![CDATA[ Brace yourselves! Amazon, the E-commerce giant, led by Jeff Bezos is running the largest sweepstakes in history to see which U.S. city will be the winner of their new headquarters, dubbed “HQ2”. They are posed to make this decision by the end of the year and have the competing cities currently lowered down substantially to a handful, including our beloved Boston. While this may not be news to you, the impact of this choice – if it should be our hometown – could cause a ripple effect that could very well impact your small or medium-sized business. Do you understand the effect this choice could have on your business and your IT needs? Will you need to expand to accommodate new clients, employees, or computer networks? The “Amazon Effect” has impacted the way consumers shop since it debuted in 1994. Included in the changes to online shopping practices are the changes that transformed the city chosen to be its original headquarters, Seattle, Washington. The previously sleepy warehouse district known as South Lake Union in Seattle has since changed economically, environmentally, and in a million other ways, for which the residents and business owners of Boston should prepare if Amazon chooses “Beantown” as the new HQ2. Some of the ways that Seattle transformed include:
- Massive economic growth in the surrounding areas of Seattle
- Influx of new residents
- Increase in the demand for housing
- Increase in housing prices
- Increase in payscale for workers
- Skyrocketing housing prices
- Adjustments by surrounding businesses to new customers/clients and competition
- Increase in homelessness
- Increase in third party contractors for construction, deliveries, and maintenance.
- Perpetual construction due in part because of Amazon and in part due to new businesses flooding into the area trying to gain a piece of the pie
- Congealed traffic nightmares causing even more strain on the infrastructure