The Mayor of Raleigh, NC, on Why the City Is an Amazon HQ2 Contender
You might not think of Raleigh, North Carolina as a tech hub, but the mayor says the city will be ready to take up the mantle of Amazon’s second headquarters.
“We are in the process of implementing our transit system, so it actually is good timing,” Mayor Nancy McFarlane told Cheddar. “Whereas we might not be as advanced as some cities, the fact that they would be coming as we were putting that together, would really help us develop that system in a way that would support them, too.”
North Carolina’s capital city, host to operations from companies such as IBM, SAS, Red Hat, and Citrix, beat out the state’s financial center of Charlotte as one of the twenty finalists in Amazon’s search.
The city’s tech industry has been on the rise for several years, with the number of jobs growing nearly 40 percent from 2010 to 2015, outpacing the 21 percent growth in sector nationally. Raleigh is home to more than 500 start-ups and 14 incubator hubs.
But there are some potential concerns with winning the Amazon prize -- home prices could go up, making the city less affordable. And an influx of 50,000 new workers could put a strain on the city’s infrastructure. McFarlane, though, isn’t worried.
“It really always comes down to great planning,” she said. “That’s what has made Raleigh such a successful city.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/bidding-for-bezos-raleigh-nc-mayor-weighs-in-on-amazon-hq2).
Shan Aggarwal, VP of Corporate and Business Development at Coinbase, discusses the company's acquisitio of Deribit as it heads into the S&P 500. Watch!
American businesses that rely on Chinese goods are reacting with muted relief after the U.S. and China agreed to pause their exorbitant tariffs on each other’s products for 90 days. Many companies delayed or canceled orders after President Donald Trump last month put a 145% tariff on items made in China. Importers still face relatively high tariffs, however, as well as uncertainty over what will happen in the coming weeks and months. The temporary truce was announced as retailers and their suppliers are looking to finalize their plans and orders for the holiday shopping season. They’re concerned a mad scramble to get goods onto ships will lead to bottlenecks and increased shipping costs.
Shopping expert Trae Bodge discusses how talks between the U.S. and China is good news for now, but uncertainty remains for back-to-school and the holidays.
Jake Traylor, White House reporter at Politico, joins Cheddar to discuss how Trump is aiming to lower drug prices and how it differs from Biden's approach.
DJ X, alongside Molly Holder, Senior Director of Product Personalization, takes us inside Spotify's A.I. DJ and how it's the best new way to listen to music.
Sheryl Palmer, CEO of Taylor Morrison, talks tariff uncertainty, being a female leader in a male dominated industry and what homebuyers need to know. Watch!
