PLANO, Texas, July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor
North America, Inc. (TMNA) is celebrating the official opening of
its new North American headquarters today in Plano, Texas with a gala event to be attended
by hundreds of dignitaries, partners and community leaders who will
get the first glimpse of Toyota's new corporate campus that
reaffirms the company's longstanding commitment to the United States.
"The opening of our new headquarters in Plano is an extraordinary next step in
Toyota's 60-year journey in the United
States," said Jim Lentz, CEO
of Toyota in North America. "With
team members from four different companies together in one campus
location, we believe this will inspire greater collaboration,
innovation, and faster decision making as we turn to and lead the
future of mobility, all with an eye on our customers."
Lentz added, "We appreciate the support from President Trump of
our continued commitment to investing in the U.S. and sustaining
American jobs." Congratulating Toyota on its grand opening, the
company received a written statement from the White House, signed
by the President. [attached]
Three years ago, Toyota announced its "One Toyota" initiative to create more unified
operations in North America, in
part, by bringing together its quality engineering, sales,
marketing, financial services, and corporate functions in one
location.
Since then, the company has invested about $1 billion on the project to build its new
corporate campus on 100 acres in Plano and move thousands of team members and
their families from California,
Kentucky and beyond to
North Texas. With construction
nearly complete, occupancy began in late spring, and an average of
a couple hundred team members per week are moving in, which is
expected to continue in phases through December.
Celebrating its 60-year anniversary in the United States this year, Toyota has long
been part of America's cultural fabric. Toyota's U.S. commitment
includes:
- $23.4 billion in direct
investment,
- 10 manufacturing assembly facilities around the country,
- Nearly 1,500 Toyota and Lexus dealerships, and,
- 136,000 direct and dealer employees.
In addition, earlier this year, Toyota said it will spend
$10 billion in U.S. capital
investments over the next five years, an outlay that includes the
construction of its Plano
headquarters and improvements to its existing manufacturing
facilities.
The company will have jobs for up to 4,000 Toyota team members
in Plano. In addition to the
employees who chose to relocate, Toyota previously announced that
it would hire more than 1,000 new team members from the rich mix of
local talent and elsewhere. More than 90 percent of the company's
new hires from the past year for positions in Plano have come from the North Texas market. Toyota has already filled
more than 75 percent of its open positions.
"The greatest resource we have here in the Lone Star State is
our highly-skilled workforce that draws global businesses like
Toyota to Texas every day," said
Governor Abbott. "The 4,000 jobs added and Toyota's impressive new
facility are proof of the remarkable momentum of Texas' continuing economic expansion. I am
proud that Toyota is expanding here, and I thank them for their
commitment to being an important part of our Texas community."
New Corporate Campus Inspired by One Toyota Vision, with
Focus on Sustainability
The new campus supports the company's One Toyota vision with spaces that intentionally
create and foster a transparent environment, encourage the fun of
discovery, and make Toyota a place where people want to come to
collaborate and innovate. Among the seven buildings is a large
central courtyard that serves as the literal and symbolic heart of
all social and business functions – including dining, fitness, and
conferencing facilities.
Additionally, Toyota demonstrates its commitment to
sustainability with consideration for the environment as it aims to
achieve LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building
Council by offering:
- Exterior landscaping reflects the native habitat, with drought
resistant plants
- A Texas-sized 8.79-megawatt
array of more than 20,000 solar panels
- A commitment to use only renewable energy, purchasing all
electricity not generated by the solar panels from wind generated
by Texas farms
- A rainwater harvesting system, up to 400,000 gallons, to use in
irrigation
"Our new campus has fun, unexpected, and even playful features
that reflect our commitment to be a world-class leader in
innovation with state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge
technologies," said Doug Beebe,
general manager of real estate and facilities for Toyota Motor
North America. "It also is a great example of Toyota's commitment
to environmental sustainability. Because of its architecture, its
central location, and the lively, flourishing community around it,
we can share ideas and make great things happen here. We are proud
of this campus because we have designed it to allow team members to
get out of their office space and come together. And, that's really
the spirit of One Toyota."
Professionals who led this project include a host of
Dallas-based firms: KDC Real
Estate Development & Investments to develop and build the
campus, architect Corgan Associates to design the campus, and
Austin Commercial to manage the construction. Also, commercial real
estate firm JLL was the tenant representative. Construction at the
campus included the pouring of more than 142,500 yards of concrete,
installation of more than 12 acres of glass and enough Texas limestone to equal the weight of 340
Texas-built Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition trucks. At its peak, there
were approximately 2,000 workers on site daily, putting in more
than five million hours of work on the project.
Campus Opening Marked by Celebration with Local Dignitaries,
Celebrities
To mark the occasion of the opening, the company is holding a
special celebration for [more than 300 / nearly 350 guests.]
Speakers will include Jim Lentz,
Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, and other Toyota and other
local government representatives.
"We are so pleased to finally welcome all of Toyota's team
members to Plano and celebrate the
opening of this wonderful new facility," LaRosiliere said. "Toyota
has already proven to be a great corporate citizen and neighbor,
and we look forward to the continued impact it will have not only
on Plano, but on the whole
North Texas region."
Guests will be welcomed with a musical performance by the local
Plano Symphony, performance by vertical dance group pioneers,
Bandaloop; as well as, a fine dining experience from noted
celebrity Chef Dean Fearing. Tours
of the new campus will also be provided as part of the evening's
activities.
About Toyota
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (TMNA), headquartered in
Plano, Texas, brings together
Toyota's marketing, sales, engineering and manufacturing arms in
North America. It is wholly owned
by Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of
the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North
America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing
sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus
brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous
value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design,
engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks
in North America, where we operate
14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more
than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North
American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7
million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and
about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years
are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and
governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing
mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive
know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to
assist more people move more places. For more information about
Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Media Contacts
Aaron Fowles (469-292-1097)
aaron.fowles@toyota.com
Amanda Roark (469-292-2636)
amanda.roark@toyota.com
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SOURCE Toyota Motor North America