Prior to Thursday’s deadline to submit a bid to Amazon to host its second North American headquarters, it was well known that the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas were planning to submit bids.
What wasn’t widely known is that Missouri submitted its own proposal.
“Imagine the potential of combining the two major metropolitan areas of St. Louis and Kansas City,” said Drew Erdmann, Missouri’s chief operating officer. Add to that, he said, the University of Missouri in Columbia, and “that’s the kind of big bold thinking we think will appeal to Amazon.”
Erdmann was host Don Marsh’s guest on St. Louis on the Air’s weekly “Behind the Headlines” segment.
Erdmann said Missouri’s proposal is that of an innovation corridor that would be connected by a Hyperloop.
Hyperloop is a mode of transportation that uses electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube. The vehicle or pod would float above a track using magnetic levitation.
“There are existing technologies and emerging technologies for transportation and communication that will continue to revolutionize how we live, work and play,” Erdmann said, contending that the Hyperloop is one of those transportation technologies.
As for whether state government is lending more support to the independent bids from Kansas City or St. Louis, Erdmann said, “We love both of our children. We love both of them equally.”
St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.
