ALBANY, N.Y. -- Albany joins nearly every city in America angling to land Amazon's new corporate headquarters, and while you're waiting for the retail giant's decision, if you want to pinpoint a place where giant companies have been successful before, you don't have to look any further than here.

Former TV news anchor Jack Aernecke reported on Capital Region business and technology for decades.

"There is a great undercurrent of creativity here, largely fostered by the universities," Aernecke said.

That's why when Aernecke sees Albany and Rensselaer angling to host the new Amazon corporate headquarters on unused land, he does not dismiss it out of hand.

Question is, why would a multi-billion dollar, retail corporate giant place itself in snowy upstate New York, with the taxes and the stagnant population growth? Aernecke says easy - because we've done it before, pointing at GE.

"Some people say that Schenectady was the 'original Tech Valley.' And Amazon is always looking at cutting-edge stuff."

Aernecke acknowledged that overriding public sentiment, it's unlikely Amazon would come here, but Aernecke notes that where small business has prospered in the past, big business has followed.