Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
Amazon used special code names for the 20 finalists in the running to become home to the online retail giant’s second headquarters: the names of employees’ dogs, according to The Wall Street Journal. A source cited by the Journal on Saturday said the bid from Maryland’s Montgomery County was dubbed “Project Duke”; New York City’s proposal, which went on to win, was known as “Project Clancy”; and Indianapolis officials heard their proposal referred to as “Duke.” “We were like, whose daughter is this, whose grandmother?” Maureen Kraus, chief economic development officer at the Indy Chamber, told the Journal. The Seattle-based company reportedly used the code names to keep matters confidential, but it apparently settled on dogs as a nod to its dog-friendly culture. Employees are allowed to bring their dogs to work, and the Seattle office even provides the pets with play areas and treats.