CEO: Workforce Sealed Porsche Headquarters Deal for Atlanta
The following is an excerpt from a recent Global Atlanta article detailing Porsche's decision to locate its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia:
When Porsche Cars North America decided to move its Sandy Springs headquarters, it wasn't a given that that German automaker would stay in the metro Atlanta area.
"We were absolutely prepared to move if we had good reason to,' Chief Executive Detlev Von Platen told a German business conference at Emory University last week.
Porsche applied its elaborate scoring system to 73 sites, weighing factors like logistics, transportation, workforce, land costs and others. Cities and states all over the country rolled out the red carpet, offering incentives designed to woo the iconic sports car brand and the jobs and prestige it would bring.
In the end, Atlanta's ability to attract and keep talented workers set it apart from the rest, along with the unique piece of property near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where Porsche is putting its consolidated head offices and a new test track, Mr. Von Platen said.
"The most important thing was: Are we sure that we're getting the best workforce in the future?'