PLANO, Texas, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A V-8 engine
growls, and the earth moves.
With the roar of a 2015 TRD Pro Series Tundra, Toyota today
formally broke ground on its new North American headquarters at the
intersection of Headquarters Drive and Palomino Crossing in
Plano, Texas. The Tundra took
center stage, bulldozing the first soil on the site of Toyota's new
campus in a manner that can only be described as not your
traditional groundbreaking ceremony.
"The support and encouragement we've received from the
community, civic leaders, business partners and nearby corporations
has been nothing short of tremendous," said Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor North America chief
executive officer. "Our goal is to build an
environmentally-sustainable campus that our new neighbors will
welcome and our team members and associates will be proud to call
home."
Toyota also unveiled an installation during the ceremony: the
word "TOYOTA" in large letters, standing 10 feet tall and 64 feet
wide. Inside each letter are native Texan Yaupon Holly trees,
which represent "wish" trees, a Japanese cultural tradition.
Students from the Plano ISD Academy High School and community
participants contributed to the event by adding handwritten notes
to the trees representing their wishes, dreams, hopes and
inspirations. The notes will be collected from the holly trees and
placed into a time capsule at the new headquarters.
The trees will be planted permanently once the Toyota
headquarters is completed and will represent the long-standing
friendship between Japan and
the United States and the
Company's commitment to the Plano
community.
Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere joined Lentz, addressing about
100 dignitaries and Toyota "Pioneers" – team members and associates
who have already made the move to North
Texas.
"Today's groundbreaking event marks another milestone for the
future of Toyota and the future of the City of Plano," he said. "Toyota has already
proven to be a great corporate citizen and neighbor, and we look
forward to the continued impact they will have not only on
Plano but on the whole
North Texas region."
"Breaking ground in Plano is an
exciting and tangible demonstration of the great progress we are
making in bringing our major North American business affiliates and
leaders together in one location for the first time," said
Mike Groff, President and CEO of
Toyota Financial Services. "As we create this best place to
work for our people, we will strengthen our ability to put
customers first and make a meaningful difference in the communities
we are privileged to serve."
Since announcing the relocation last April, Toyota has purchased
property; hired a developer (KDC), architect (Corgan Associates)
and project manager (JLL), and filed a preliminary site plan with
the City of Plano. The Company is now engaged in the design
process, and formal construction activity is set to begin in the
next several weeks. Completion is expected by late 2016 or
early 2017.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Javier Moreno, Toyota Corporate
Communications
469-292-1027
Javier_moreno@toyota.com
Josh Reed, Allison+Partners
480-282-7205
HelloTexas@allisonpr.com
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of
the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people
live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50
years, we've built more than 25 million cars and trucks in
North America, where we operate 14
manufacturing plants and directly employ more than 40,000 people.
Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more than 2.6 million
cars and trucks in 2014 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota
vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road
today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As
part of this commitment, we share the company's extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good.
For more information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About Toyota Financial Services
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is a service mark used to
refer to a number of entities, including Toyota Motor Credit
Corporation (TMCC), Toyota Financial Savings Bank (TFSB), and
Toyota Motor Insurance Services, Inc. (TMIS).
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SOURCE Toyota