By Taylor Smith

A selection team from Amazon met with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Tuesday to discuss the prospects of Newark as the HQ2 Amazon headquarters, making New Jersey, the new hub of Amazon commerce.

Other notable figures in attendance included former Newark Mayor and current U.S Senator Cory Booker and D-NJ and businessman Ray Chambers.

Newark is one of 20 finalist cities that include Atlanta, Austin, Columbus, OH, Miami, Dallas, and Pittsburgh, amongst others.

Newark submitted its bid last fall and Amazon announced in early January that the city had been named a finalist.

Amazon has said it plans to make the final decision on its new location by the close of 2018.

Wherever the company moves, it estimates that it will spend $5 billion in the construction of its new headquarters and create at least 50,000 permanent jobs.