Kasich: Losing Amazon hub isn't 'game over' for Wilmington
COLUMBUS – Better job applicants and facilities led Amazon to choose Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport over Wilmington for its worldwide air cargo hub, Ohio Gov. John Kasich told reporters Wednesday.
Kasich's administration had tried to bring Amazon's hub to the Wilmington Air Park, rather than see the jobs go to Northern Kentucky. The online retail giant on Tuesday announced it would make a $1.5 billion investment in CVG, a move Amazon has said will bring 2,700 new jobs.
While the announcement was a gain for Greater Cincinnati, it is a loss for Wilmington. The Clinton County seat, located about 50 miles northeast of Cincinnati, has struggled to recover from the loss of 8,000 jobs during the Great Recession.
"We were extremely involved with Amazon making the best case" for Wilmington, Kasich said. "They looked at the facility and they looked at the ability to recruit people, and that's why they made that decision. There is less risk in making that decision, which basically will help Ohio as well."
Amazon plans worldwide cargo hub, 2,700 jobs at CVG
JobsOhio, the state's privatized economic development organization, performed a study in an attempt to show Amazon the Wilmington area has enough qualified people to fill the jobs, Kasich said.
In a Wednesday interview, JobsOhio President John Minor said economic development officials learned about Amazon's plans Tuesday. Although Minor declined to speculate on Amazon's rationale for picking CVG over Wilmington, he said the state has a "very good relationship" with the company. Three years ago, Amazon had no workers in Ohio. It now employs people in data and order fulfillment centers in the Buckeye State and has invested in wind-energy production in Ohio, Minor said.
"There are a few more things we are working on with Amazon,” Minor said in a meeting with The Enquirer's editorial board.
Amazon said it would offer workers in Wilmington job opportunities to transfer to any company site around the United States.
Wilmington once was home to DHL's North American hub. But the international shipping giant moved its package sorting and cargo operations to CVG in 2009. The move was devastating to Wilmington. The city has been trying to recover ever since, and Kasich talked of the need to bring jobs back to Wilmington during his first campaign for governor in 2010.
During Kasich's tenure, the Wilmington Air Park has had some small jobs-creating victories. But landing the Amazon hub would have been a big step toward making Wilmington a major player in air cargo again.
"We're going to do some research and find out all the things that were wrong," Kasich said. "Look, it would've been great to have gotten this. I'm very, very disappointed we didn't get it. But let's not say, 'game over.' Throw me the next pitch, and let me see if I can get a bat on the ball."