Toyota moving from Cali to Plano, Texas
#121
As you mention, if I don't like it after spending two years there, I can always come back. It won't be easy, but it won't be extremely difficult either, and I will only be 33 or 34 years old by that time.
For me, it all comes down to choosing a location I love or a job I love. (though, after Toyota sends us on a trip to go check out TX, who knows-- maybe I will also enjoy that location). I've had it good for the past 7 years with Toyota, having both a job in an industry I have passion for, and being able to live in a location that I grew up in and love.
Change isn't always bad though. And again, I cannot stress enough how well Toyota is handling it. So far, the majority I've interacted with ARE considering the move. Prior to finding out more information on Monday, the majority were firmly saying they would not even consider relocating. That speaks volumes about the company, I feel.
#122
i LOVED living in texas. such a spirit of "we can do it!" it was only when i moved away that i realized... "oh yeah, that's what trees, hills, and dark green grass are like."
#123
Today, of course, we have somewhat better pure electric-cars than back then (Leaf, Focus Electric, Fiat 500 electric, etc....., and, of course, the superb Teslas. And, just as important, a better electric-charging infrastructure. But, outside of the Teslas, most pure-electrics today still have sufficient range limitations that the public still hasn't embraced them whole-heartedly yet.
#125
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Posts: n/a
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...&mg=reno64-wsj
California City of Torrance Grapples With Toyota Relocation to Texas
Giant Auto Maker Is Moving 3,000 Jobs to New North American Headquarters
By TAMARA AUDI and MIKE RAMSEY CONNECT
April 30, 2014 8:37 p.m. ET
A car rides past Toyota's campus in Torrance, Calif. Orange County Register/Zuma Press
Five weeks ago, Torrance, Calif., Mayor Frank Scotto was celebrating the opening of the city's new athletic fields with officials of Toyota Motor Corp. 7203.TO +2.23% The city's biggest employer and a prime benefactor had given a half-million dollars toward the project.
This week, Mr. Scotto has had a less pleasant duty to perform: Figuring out how Torrance can fill the 101-acre hole the giant auto maker will leave behind when it vacates its sprawling campus and moves 3,000 jobs to a new North American headquarters in Texas.
Toyota's decision to consolidate much of its U.S. operations in Plano, Texas, by 2017, officially announced Monday, caught Mr. Scotto by surprise. Toyota's own employees in Torrance were informed just minutes after the mayor got a courtesy call. State of California officials, too, had been in the dark about the move, which Toyota had been exploring for the past year.
"It was a shock," Mr. Scotto said, though he had heard reports rumoring the move. "We didn't realize the magnitude of what it was."
Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto speaks with reporters after the auto maker announces it is relocating its North America headquarters to Texas. Reuters
Toyota kept its search for a new North America headquarters quiet, according to people familiar with the matter. Even some top-tier executives at the company had no idea the move was coming until just a day before it was announced.
California was never considered in the search for a new headquarters site, these people said, but its location—far from Toyota's other operations in the U.S.—was a bigger factor than its business climate, which has been criticized by some for its high taxes and myriad regulations.
In an email Wednesday, Jim Lentz, chief executive of Toyota's North American operations, said: "The business environment had nothing to do with the decision to leave California."
Mr. Lentz also said he didn't want to have the new headquarters in any location where there already was a divisional headquarters, which put California, Michigan and Kentucky out of the running.
People familiar with the search for the new U.S. headquarters said each of the final locations considered—Atlanta, Charlotte., N.C., Denver and suburban Dallas—had factors the company required: a major airport, good quality of life, relative proximity to Toyota's other U.S. operations, and not in the shadow of Detroit, where America's Big Three auto makers are headquartered.
Another factor: the site had to be near affordable housing and high-quality schools.
Dallas's two airports—particularly Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport—were a key influencer in the final decision, the people said. They will give Toyota employees direct-flight capability to any of its U.S. plants and Japan, while remaining closer to families in California than other hubs like Atlanta and Charlotte.
Mr. Lentz has cited Texas' business-friendly climate, as well as no personal income tax. He also said California wasn't offered an opportunity to counter Texas' offer, saying to do so would have been "disingenuous" since the decision to leave that state had been made.
Neither Gov. Jerry Brown's office nor his office of business and economic development would comment on whether any effort was or would have been made to persuade the company to stay. While Mr. Brown acknowledged some of the challenges businesses face in his state in comments this week, his administration pointed to a number of companies, including Amazon.com AMZN +1.24% and Genentech, that are expanding operations there.
Some critics have said that the decision by Toyota should serve as a wake-up call and urged California to stem corporate departures, attract more businesses, and reduce the cost of living.
"While we are not certain why Toyota is moving jobs, in California, excessive litigation, overregulation, and high taxes are factors for both the employer and the employees in making location decisions," Allan Zaremberg, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
Toyota's U.S. sales unit has been based in Southern California since 1957, where it located to be close to the Port of Long Beach, where its cars arrived from Japan. Proximity to Japan was also key because most of its employees then were Japanese. It moved to its 101-acre Torrance campus in 1982.
Toyota has been an integral part of this city of about 150,000 people south of Los Angeles ever since, active in both its philanthropies and schools. One of the city's most popular venues for wedding and birthdays is the Toyota Meeting Hall, a ballroom that is part of the city's cultural center.
City officials are still working to grasp the full impact of the loss, said Fran Fulton, the economic development manager for the city.
According to its latest business-license filing, the auto maker employs 3,929 people in Torrance, and the company pays $1.2 million annually in taxes and fees. Torrance's next-largest employer is rival auto maker Honda Motor Co. 7267.TO +1.60% , with 1,615 employees.
Toyota said it plans to keep about 2,300 workers in other Southern California facilities, working in divisions including design, motor-racing and a parts factory.
The city's first order of business will be to find tenants for the huge Toyota campus, Mr. Scotto said. A list of talking points that the city quickly worked up after the announcement is topped with: "TORRANCE IS A BUSINESS FRIENDLY CITY."
Giant Auto Maker Is Moving 3,000 Jobs to New North American Headquarters
By TAMARA AUDI and MIKE RAMSEY CONNECT
April 30, 2014 8:37 p.m. ET
A car rides past Toyota's campus in Torrance, Calif. Orange County Register/Zuma Press
Five weeks ago, Torrance, Calif., Mayor Frank Scotto was celebrating the opening of the city's new athletic fields with officials of Toyota Motor Corp. 7203.TO +2.23% The city's biggest employer and a prime benefactor had given a half-million dollars toward the project.
This week, Mr. Scotto has had a less pleasant duty to perform: Figuring out how Torrance can fill the 101-acre hole the giant auto maker will leave behind when it vacates its sprawling campus and moves 3,000 jobs to a new North American headquarters in Texas.
Toyota's decision to consolidate much of its U.S. operations in Plano, Texas, by 2017, officially announced Monday, caught Mr. Scotto by surprise. Toyota's own employees in Torrance were informed just minutes after the mayor got a courtesy call. State of California officials, too, had been in the dark about the move, which Toyota had been exploring for the past year.
"It was a shock," Mr. Scotto said, though he had heard reports rumoring the move. "We didn't realize the magnitude of what it was."
Torrance Mayor Frank Scotto speaks with reporters after the auto maker announces it is relocating its North America headquarters to Texas. Reuters
Toyota kept its search for a new North America headquarters quiet, according to people familiar with the matter. Even some top-tier executives at the company had no idea the move was coming until just a day before it was announced.
California was never considered in the search for a new headquarters site, these people said, but its location—far from Toyota's other operations in the U.S.—was a bigger factor than its business climate, which has been criticized by some for its high taxes and myriad regulations.
In an email Wednesday, Jim Lentz, chief executive of Toyota's North American operations, said: "The business environment had nothing to do with the decision to leave California."
Mr. Lentz also said he didn't want to have the new headquarters in any location where there already was a divisional headquarters, which put California, Michigan and Kentucky out of the running.
People familiar with the search for the new U.S. headquarters said each of the final locations considered—Atlanta, Charlotte., N.C., Denver and suburban Dallas—had factors the company required: a major airport, good quality of life, relative proximity to Toyota's other U.S. operations, and not in the shadow of Detroit, where America's Big Three auto makers are headquartered.
Another factor: the site had to be near affordable housing and high-quality schools.
Dallas's two airports—particularly Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport—were a key influencer in the final decision, the people said. They will give Toyota employees direct-flight capability to any of its U.S. plants and Japan, while remaining closer to families in California than other hubs like Atlanta and Charlotte.
Mr. Lentz has cited Texas' business-friendly climate, as well as no personal income tax. He also said California wasn't offered an opportunity to counter Texas' offer, saying to do so would have been "disingenuous" since the decision to leave that state had been made.
Neither Gov. Jerry Brown's office nor his office of business and economic development would comment on whether any effort was or would have been made to persuade the company to stay. While Mr. Brown acknowledged some of the challenges businesses face in his state in comments this week, his administration pointed to a number of companies, including Amazon.com AMZN +1.24% and Genentech, that are expanding operations there.
Some critics have said that the decision by Toyota should serve as a wake-up call and urged California to stem corporate departures, attract more businesses, and reduce the cost of living.
"While we are not certain why Toyota is moving jobs, in California, excessive litigation, overregulation, and high taxes are factors for both the employer and the employees in making location decisions," Allan Zaremberg, president and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
Toyota's U.S. sales unit has been based in Southern California since 1957, where it located to be close to the Port of Long Beach, where its cars arrived from Japan. Proximity to Japan was also key because most of its employees then were Japanese. It moved to its 101-acre Torrance campus in 1982.
Toyota has been an integral part of this city of about 150,000 people south of Los Angeles ever since, active in both its philanthropies and schools. One of the city's most popular venues for wedding and birthdays is the Toyota Meeting Hall, a ballroom that is part of the city's cultural center.
City officials are still working to grasp the full impact of the loss, said Fran Fulton, the economic development manager for the city.
According to its latest business-license filing, the auto maker employs 3,929 people in Torrance, and the company pays $1.2 million annually in taxes and fees. Torrance's next-largest employer is rival auto maker Honda Motor Co. 7267.TO +1.60% , with 1,615 employees.
Toyota said it plans to keep about 2,300 workers in other Southern California facilities, working in divisions including design, motor-racing and a parts factory.
The city's first order of business will be to find tenants for the huge Toyota campus, Mr. Scotto said. A list of talking points that the city quickly worked up after the announcement is topped with: "TORRANCE IS A BUSINESS FRIENDLY CITY."
#126
they are beating around the bush, of course it was due to business climate. They will still have employees there but the HQ will officially be in Texas, no more state corporate income tax on US operations.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
Last edited by 4TehNguyen; 05-01-14 at 08:25 AM.
#127
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Posts: n/a
they are beating around the bush, of course it was due to business climate. They will still have employees there but the HQ will officially be in Texas, no more state corporate income tax on US operations.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
#128
If it was the business climate, other manufacturers such as Hyundai would have never chosen CA as a hub (and we all know Hyundai is frugal enough to have thought about the tax situation).
Toyota is a business, and a very big one at that. It needs to look at all aspects, just like it stated in the article.
Toyota's announcement trumps anyone's simplified theory. It takes a lot of thinking to move a mountain.
#129
they are beating around the bush, of course it was due to business climate. They will still have employees there but the HQ will officially be in Texas, no more state corporate income tax on US operations.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
DFW is a good airport, primary US hub for american airlines. Atlanta is another primary hub.
However, they'll now pay LESS to California.
#130
Businesses pay taxes in every state that they operate in(that charges such a tax) regardless of where they're headquartered. The amount you pay to each state is apportioned based on percentage of payroll, sales, fixed assets, and rent.
However, they'll now pay LESS to California.
However, they'll now pay LESS to California.
#131
Again, not being political, but this is, "of course," not the only issue.
If it was the business climate, other manufacturers such as Hyundai would have never chosen CA as a hub (and we all know Hyundai is frugal enough to have thought about the tax situation).
Toyota is a business, and a very big one at that. It needs to look at all aspects, just like it stated in the article.
Toyota's announcement trumps anyone's simplified theory. It takes a lot of thinking to move a mountain.
If it was the business climate, other manufacturers such as Hyundai would have never chosen CA as a hub (and we all know Hyundai is frugal enough to have thought about the tax situation).
Toyota is a business, and a very big one at that. It needs to look at all aspects, just like it stated in the article.
Toyota's announcement trumps anyone's simplified theory. It takes a lot of thinking to move a mountain.
#132
I'm a tax accountant. Still have a lot to learn though, just finished my bachelor's degree in December and started at my firm in January.
The only reason I knew the apportionment is because I just did a big PITA return for a business(partnership) that operates in about 7 or 8 states, CA being one of them. Fortunately the majority of their operations are in NV where we don't have state income tax.
#133
TX is def more friendly to businesses than CA. It sucks for those who have to move or lose jobs. If you're from CA, esp. the South, IMO there's nothing interesting to do in TX, nothing! The malls here even in big cities are not even comparable to those in CA. All about work and eat (although not quite as nice/good as LA and SF).
#134
Toyota's U.S. sales unit has been based in Southern California since 1957, where it located to be close to the Port of Long Beach, where its cars arrived from Japan. Proximity to Japan was also key because most of its employees then were Japanese. It moved to its 101-acre Torrance campus in 1982.
Again, not being political, but this is, "of course," not the only issue.
If it was the business climate, other manufacturers such as Hyundai would have never chosen CA as a hub (and we all know Hyundai is frugal enough to have thought about the tax situation).
Toyota is a business, and a very big one at that. It needs to look at all aspects, just like it stated in the article.
Toyota's announcement trumps anyone's simplified theory. It takes a lot of thinking to move a mountain.
If it was the business climate, other manufacturers such as Hyundai would have never chosen CA as a hub (and we all know Hyundai is frugal enough to have thought about the tax situation).
Toyota is a business, and a very big one at that. It needs to look at all aspects, just like it stated in the article.
Toyota's announcement trumps anyone's simplified theory. It takes a lot of thinking to move a mountain.