New West Coast Office Debuted by Mercedes-Benz

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

Following the opening of the company’s new headquarters in Atlanta earlier this year, Mercedes-Benz USA celebrated the opening of a new office in Long Beach, Calif. Mercedes-Benz USA President & CEO Stephen Cannon, and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia were in attendance for the ribbon-cutting event.

Dietmar Exler, Vice President of Sales, MBUSA, Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach, and Steve Cannon, President and CEO, MBUSA

Located on a site that previously housed the Douglas Aircraft Company, as well as a Boeing 717 aircraft manufacturing facility, the new office consists of two buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet. The 52.2-acre lot is across the street from the Pacific Pointe at Douglas Park mixed-use development project.

Some of the business operations located at the newly-opened facility include the following:

• Vehicle Preparation Center – responsible for ensuring Mercedes-Benz vehicles are ready for delivery in the U.S., including distribution tasks. The facility is one of three existing Vehicle Preparation Centers, joining similar locations in Baltimore, Md., and Brunswick, Ga.
• Western Region Office – the new facility will coordinate the activity of 84 different dealerships from 12 states including California, Hawaii, Texas, Nevada and Washington. MBUSA’s other regional offices are located in Montvale, N.J., Rosemont, Ill, and Jacksonville, Fla.
• Mercedes-Benz Academy – offering training to dealership and MBUSA employees, the Academy features instructor-led training, eLearning, virtual classrooms, peer-to-peer training, and mobile learning. The other facilities operated by the company are located in Houston, Texas, Itasca, Ill., Jacksonville, Fla. and Montvale, N.J.