Cooper: NC's incentives won't be biggest Amazon's offered

The goal is to be competitive enough to get a seat at the table, Gov. Roy Cooper said.

Posted 8:54 p.m. Jan 18, 2018 — Updated 6:15 p.m. Jul 12, 2018

Travis Fain

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday that North Carolina's incentive package won't be the sweetest offer Amazon gets from the 20 finalists the company named Thursday in its quest for a second headquarters.

The goal is to be competitive enough to get a seat at the table, though, Cooper said, then have the the Raleigh area's livability and other attributes win the day.

"I know our incentives won't be the greatest compared to some of the other states," the governor told reporters Thursday. "But it will be competitive, and if we're competitive, then we can sell what we have."

The governor wouldn't give details or say whether the state's incentives package would be more, less or about the same as the $1.5 billion offered in an effort to win a Toyota/Mazda automotive plant that ended up announcing plans in Alabama. Cooper said the two projects are different and that, "we're going to be looking at what kind of things that Amazon needs to be talking to North Carolina."

Cooper said he'll discuss "particular proposals" with the General Assembly.

"I think that North Carolina has a good shot at this, and we're going to make a real go for it," he said.

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