Myajc.com
Log on to our premium website to read more exclusive coverage about Georgia’s efforts to attract new industry, content you can only find at www.MyAJC.com/business.
Is Mercedes-Benz seriously snooping around Atlanta and other Southern cities for a new U.S. headquarters site, or is it casting a southward glance in order to win incentives from its current home in New Jersey?
Two Atlanta publications reported early Tuesday, citing unnamed people, that the German luxury carmaker had its eyes on metro Atlanta for a new home for its U.S division. The Wall Street Journal and others chimed in hours later, with the Journal saying Georgia was in the running with North Carolina for the prize. Other states have also been reported as would-be suitors.
The possible economic development coup — the U.S. hub of one of the world’s most renowned brands — sounds like an early Christmas present for a state hungry for jobs and eager to prove the worst of the Great Recession is behind it.
“There’s a lot of rumor and speculation out there – none of it’s coming from us,” Mercedes-Benz USA spokeswoman Donna Boland said in an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That’s not exactly a denial (nor confirmation).
People in commercial real estate told the AJC that Mercedes-Benz representatives have scoped out metro Atlanta sites, including the area around Perimeter Mall.
Gov. Nathan Deal didn’t quite confirm talks, nor did he tamp down speculation.
“We are always pleased when any company is looking for Georgia, especially a company with the prestige of Mercedes-Benz,” he said following an event in Macon. “We are very pleased that they are perhaps looking at us. We still don’t know what kind of decisions they will be making. But I do think it speaks well of our state.”
Coincidentally — or not — Georgia has a trade mission in Germany right now. But officially, it’s largely to meet with a different carmaker, Volkswagen.
Chris Carr, the state’s top executive in the recruitment game, met with Volkswagen officials about wooing suppliers to VW’s new plant in Chattanooga. He even posted a photo of himself outside of a VW factory on his Facebook page.
Reached by the AJC in Germany, Carr wouldn’t bite on any questions about Mercedes-Benz. He did say the trip across the Atlantic Ocean had long been planned.
“One initiative we’ve been pushing is a VW supplier initiative,” Carr said in an interview. “We’re partnering to bring suppliers to Georgia for the VW plant just across the state line (in Tennessee).
“If you look at geographically, where we sit, we’re at the perfect location,” he said “Suppliers have great opportunities to be in Georgia.”
The Mercedes-Benz U.S. division handles marketing, vehicle distribution and other matters in America for the German car company. Mercedes-Benz also makes SUVs, crossovers and small sedans at a factory in Tuscaloosa County, Ala.
A person with knowledge of the situation said Mercedes-Benz USA has hired international real estate services firm JLL to represent it in its search, and the Atlanta office is involved.
A JLL spokesman declined comment, stating that the firm does not respond to “rumors and market speculation.”
One senior state official said he fears the chatter is merely a ploy by some party to squeeze added perks out of New Jersey, and that any interest in Georgia was more of a tire-kicking exercise by the automaker and its representatives.
NorthJersey.com reported, citing an unnamed person, that Georgia is offering up to $50 million in incentives.
How many jobs might be involved in any move also was not immediately clear. The WSJ said Mercedes employs about 1,000 people at its New Jersey HQ.
A Mercedes move, if it happens, would give metro Atlanta its second operations hub for an upscale German brand. Porsche has called the metro area its North American headquarters for several years and is currently developing an office building and experience center — complete with a test track — near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
About the Author
