The three-story, class A office building acts as the heart of Daimler Financial's 600,000-contract base of dealers and customers in the US. The powerhouse business center's initial ground force totals 550 employees at 13650 Heritage Pkwy., with capacity for up to 800. More than 50% of the company's workforce has voluntarily relocated to North Texas, according to Daimler executives, who added the norm is 28% when companies undertake major realignments. In its split with Chrysler Corp., Daimler Financial has kept its headquarters in Farmington Hills, MI, where it employs 400.
"You are the face of our company, the future of our company," Entenmann told employees and guests at yesterday's building dedication.
 Entenmann |
Entenmann acknowledged the tough economic times, but pointed out that the experienced team that's still in place will be the company's "strength" in weathering conditions. Like its competitors, sales volumes have decreased. But unlike its competitors, Daimler's bread-and-butter line, Mercedes Benz, is down just 1.6% in its year-to-year comparison. Other automakers are experiencing double-digit setbacks.
"You just need to continue doing business without panicking. We are working together with dealers and customers like before," Entenmann told GlobeSt.com. "There is no intent to change anything. We will look at credit, as before, and be consistent. We will get through it."
According to studies, Daimler Financial's expansion in North Texas will result in a $115-million economic impact in the first year and $48.5 million annually thereafter. "We don't want to be a passive onlooker in this community," Entenmann said. "We want to be an active participant."
Among Daimler Financial employee perks is one day off, with pay, for community service. In addition, the company has partnered with Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth to provide exhibit space for their art departments, just as it has done for seven years for the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit. The AllianceTexas building's halls are now sporting more than 80 pieces from 40 artists.
Daimler Financial's CFO Bodo Uebber interrupted a road show in the Northeast to attend the dedication ceremony. "You are creating a template for the rest of the organization," he said, stressing the building is a reflection of the "professionalism and spirit" of its occupants.
"The shell, the outside is the character. The inside is the soul," Entenmann said later in the presentation.
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