News Article

Continental Tire opens $11M facility

March 26, 2009

Lancaster News
By Christopher Sardelli

INDIAN LAND - Business owners and county officials were on hand Thursday morning for the opening of Continental Tire's new Indian Land headquarters.

More than 75 guests gathered at Continental's new 75,000-square foot building as Matthias Schoenberg, Continental Tire North America's chief executive officer, dedicated the facility. Located inside MacMillan Business Park, the facility will house Continental's passenger and light truck tire group and its commercial tire group.

Schoenberg recognized several Continental employees for their work on the project and thanked Lancaster County Council and the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp. for helping to bring the company to Indian Land.

"We are grateful to South Carolina for helping us develop this beautiful new headquarters," Schoenberg said. "We're pleased to now call the great Palmetto State home."

Schoenberg said it's impressive how the company is already operational, even though employees just moved into the building earlier this week.

The new headquarters will have 375 employees, of which 123 live in Lancaster and York counties. All the employees were transferred from the company's former Charlotte headquarters, which closed last week.

The company once employed 1,400 people at its Charlotte manufacturing plant, including workers from Lancaster County. The plant closed in 2006.

"We've experienced many, many changes over the last few years that have led us to create this new Continental Tire building," Schoenberg said. Ann Gillespie knows those changes well.

Gillespie, a 40-year employee of the company, answered questions from guests about the day's events.

She also recounted the many changes she's seen at the company, including the new headquarters layout.

"This is nice," Gillespie said about the new building. "I think it will be easier to communicate with coworkers in this space."

The new one-story building, in contrast to a previous four-story facility, includes lower open-air cubicles and three coffee bars.

This should ensure much better cooperation between our departments and employees, Schoenberg said.

The company has signed a 10-year lease for the building, built specifically for Continental by Forsite Development. Schoenberg said the company invested $11 million in the facility, which is situated on 11.5 acres of land.

According to initial estimates by the company, Continental should generate over $10 million for the state and county over the next 10 years.

Darrell Walters, vice president of operations with Forsite, said the county should reap at least $3 million in property taxes over that time.

County Council Chairman Fred Thomas welcomed Continental Tire to Lancaster County.

He congratulated the company for working to keep all of its employees during the move and said Continental should help the local economy.

I look forward to seeing you make it through these tough economic times, Thomas said.

Schoenberg cut the ribbon to formally open the facility. Joining him were Thomas and Schoenberg's three daughters, Johanna, Dina and Emilia, and 2-year-old Noelle Rogers, daughter of Tim Rogers, Continental's chief financial officer.

Greg Bednarcik, an engineer with Continental, guided visitors on tours of the facility. He said Continental has an option on the building's adjacent lot, on which it could expand. Depending on the economy, he said Continental could bring additional employees from some of the company's other facilities.

Continental has a large contingent of workers in Detroit who could be moved to Lancaster County, Bednarcik said.

Mike Richmond, an Indian Land resident who attended the ceremony, said he admires the dedication of the company's employees.

"Everybody in this organization is really, really good," Richmond said. "They put their whole heart, mind, body and soul into this company."

Continental employs 150,000 at nearly 200 locations in 36 countries, including Canada, South America, Asia and Australia.Contact reporter Chris Sardelli at csardelli@thelancasternews.com or at(803)416-8416