More and more online shoppers want their stuff fast. But the economics of making that happen haven't changed.

Amazon said Monday that it received 238 proposals from cities and regions in the United States, Canada and Mexico hoping to be the home of the company's second headquarters.

The notion that old commercial buildings could enjoy a second life as places to live and work was popularized by artists in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood in the 1960s, when dusty warehouses started to give way to studios and apartments.

Companies seek to burnish their brands in a variety of creative ways. In the case of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), that desire extends deep into the supply chain.