Delaware wants its HQ2 pitch to attract all businesses, not just Amazon

With cities across the country in various stages of Amazon HQ2 mania (yeah, it’s bleak), Delaware decided to take a fairly laid-back approach: The pitch video touting our little state as the perfect place to run a business never utters the word “Amazon.”

Instead, it’s geared toward businesses in general — or, to be more precise, “anyone looking to do business on the East Coast.” This is a good look:

The good-humored two-minute video, produced by Short Order Production House, features locations such as Rodney Square, the Riverfront, The Mill, Zip Code Wilmington, Rehoboth Beach, Brew Ha Ha, the Biden Train Station and the Port of Wilmington, to name a few, as well as cameos from Gov. John Carney and former Capital One COO Jim Kelly.

Other companies who want to move to Delaware, the video is sure to highlight, will have access to the same incentives as Amazon, including the New Economy Jobs Tax Credit, Business Facility Tax Credit and grants or loans through the Delaware Strategic Fund.

As for location, Delaware has offered three options for Amazon HQ2:

• First State Crossing, former site of the Evraz Steel Mill in Claymont
• Wilmington Riverfront
• 1800 Concord Pike in Fairfax, aka the AstraZeneca complex

All of these locations fulfill all of Amazon’s qualifications (and to everyone saying Wilmington is off the table because it has less than 1 million people, Philadelphia is fewer than 30 miles from all of these sites, fulfilling the requirement that it must be within 30 miles of a city of 1 million or more). If Amazon chooses Delaware, more than one location could be utilized.

And if Amazon doesn’t, hey, Delaware has a really nice high-production-value video pitch. Seriously. It’s really nice.

“We’re going to win the future,” said New Castle County Executive Matthew Meyer at the pitch announcement at the Delaware Contemporary Thursday afternoon that also featured Carney, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt-Rochester and Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki.

In addition to the video, Team Delaware also launched a new website, OptionsInDE.com, and the hashtag — you guessed it — #OptionsInDE.