Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993 TAG: 9304070010
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
ROANOKE, STATE WOO MERCEDES
Economic developers in Roanoke and for the state said Tuesday they're actively pursuing the proposed $300 million auto factory that Mercedes-Benz said it will operate in America.The German maker of luxury cars said Monday it has decided to locate a 1,500-worker plant in the United States to build sports utility vehicles.
Mercedes said it has not yet chosen a location. But the announcement set off competition among localities that intend to vie for the factory.
Virginia is "in very serious contention" for the plant, and Gov. Douglas Wilder is in contact with the head of the company's U.S. operations, said Glen Davidson, spokesman for the governor's office.
Wilder and his economic development team "are aggressively pursuing" the plant, he said. Davidson declined to comment on potential sites.
The Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership has been trying to get the German manufacturer to consider the area, said Beth Doughty, executive director of the regional organization. "We're developing an innovative way to let them know we're here," she said, but declined to disclose any details of her approach.
Doughty said she's been following the project closely and been working several months to make contact with Mercedes-Benz.
But she said she expects "a feeding frenzy" will develop as the plant is wooed by many developers.
The Charlotte, N.C., area has been touted as a leading choice because Mercedes has several operations in that area.
In Tidewater, the location of Virginia's major port, a trained labor force and its location midway on the East Coast are being touted as incentives, according to Greg Wingfield, president of Forward Hampton Roads, an economic development arm of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.
If the German company intends to import a large amount of parts, he said, the Hampton Roads area would be an attractive location.
Associated Press contributed to this story.