"Little Rock civic leaders have decided it's better to play the field rather than court Amazon and risk being left at the altar in the online retailing giant's quest to locate its second U.S. headquarters."
--lede paragraph, lede story,
Oct. 20, 2017's Business section,
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Things can get awkward when an ex resurfaces in your life. It doesn't even have to come after a bad breakup. Some people just get stiff when a former romantic interest pops up unexpected, like at a party, or on the arm of a friend.
Gentle Reader may recall the fall of 2017. Little Rock made a declaration of love for Amazon. The city was convinced it was going to lure in Amazon's second headquarters. The fact that it was competing against hip cities like Austin didn't matter. Mayor Mark Stodola said Little Rock would "think big and creative" to win the tech giant's second headquarters. And, in his defense, it did.
Then, a mere month later, Little Rock broke up with Amazon. The city's chamber of commerce took out a full-page ad in The Washington Post announcing the romance was over. It seems the city was concerned about transit and traffic flow.
So that was that. Amazon and Little Rock's romance was brief, but maybe they learned something from each other--a lesson or two they can take into future relationships, perhaps.
Fast forward to this week. Amazon is back in Arkansas headlines after planning a new distribution center in North Little Rock. The 30,000-40,000 square-foot facility will employ about 60 to 100 local people, the papers say.
So now Little Rock gets to look across the river and see its former flame. That's got to be a little awkward, even after a one-month fling and a year of healing.
But there's no reason for South North Little Rock to be bitter. After all, the city broke things off with Amazon for a reason. There was all that transit and stuff. The cruel reality is, Amazon moved on. That's always good advice. And it can help feelings to congratulate the guy next door for getting a great partner.
Editorial on 08/17/2018