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OBR Team Takes the Brightline to Visit Restoration Hardware

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If you live or work in Miami, the thought of driving at least an hour to get to West Palm Beach is enough to discourage many from making the trip north. But all that changed with Brightline, the new high-speed passenger railroad by All Aboard Florida that connects passengers to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and, you guessed it, West Palm Beach.

For our annual summer team bonding outing, we decided to check out the highly-talked about train for ourselves, so we booked our tickets and headed north. We departed from Brightline’s Miami station, MiamiCentral, and arrived in West Palm an hour and a half later. Centrally located, the train dropped us off walking distance to all of West Palm’s downtown shops and restaurants.

Our reason for visiting WPB was to check out the relatively new Restoration Hardware mansion-like gallery and have lunch at the rooftop restaurant. We spent some time admiring the beautiful décor before heading up to the fourth floor for lunch.

Bright whites, opulent chandeliers, marble table tops, and gold, and wood accents make the rooftop space feel ultra-lux – not to mention the large glass atrium letting in an abundance of natural light. The menu didn’t miss a beat either. Our team each ordered something different, but the one thing we all couldn’t resist were the fries! Zero complaints about the food and design eye-candy at this venue.

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling through Flagler Park and Clematis Street before hopping back on the train to Miami. It was nice to have a relaxing day out of the office with our incredible team! We highly recommend you check it out for yourself!

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Why Amazon Should Choose Miami for HQ2

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Yesterday, it was announced that Miami made Amazon’s top 20 list of potential cities for its second headquarters, HQ2. The new facility will cost at least $5 billion to construct and operate and will create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs. Home to a diverse population that is entrepreneurial by nature, here’s why we think Miami is the perfect spot for Amazon’s HQ2:

– Jeff Bezos is a Miami Palmetto Senior High alumnus! In 1982, he was valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar and Silver Knight award winner, and he was already beginning to make big plans for his future. I guess you can say Miami molded him for success, so this is his opportunity to give back!

– Miami’s startup sector is booming! Just last year, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area ranked No. 1 among 40 of the largest metro areas in the country for startups.

– With over 2,000 daily nonstop flights to major cities across the United States and the world, Miami is considered one of the country’s most well-connected cities.

– With proximity and access to major markets, Miami’s multilingual workforce understands global business. Businesses in a multicultural city, like Miami, can draw employees from different backgrounds and experiences to create innovative ideas.

– Florida’s new Brightline regional train system will connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach enabling passengers (and potential employees) to commute faster throughout South Florida.

– Home to hundreds of thousands of college students, Miami appeals to a vibrant millennial community. By being connected to the Internet throughout childhood and early adulthood, Millennials have a different perspective on how to lead, communicate and market.

As Amazon aims to stay competitive in the global marketplace, they should focus on a diverse, metropolitan region like Miami. With its history of welcoming all nationalities and languages, Miami is positioned to continue growing, and we hope it will do so with Amazon in its backyard.