Several dignitaries, including Sen. John Cornyn and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, gathered at the south side Toyota plant today to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Toyota's decision to locate its Tundra plant in San Antonio, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
In the past 15 years, Toyota's operation in San Antonio has grown to 3200 employees, with another 4,000 employed at the 23 unique satellite supplier plants that ring the main facility.
Toyota Executive Vice President Chris Nielsen, who was dispatched to San Antonio 15 years ago to open the new plant, says the quality of the work force Toyota has assembled is amazing.
"What we have found here are the very best, hardest working, most dedicated team members at any Toyota plant in the U.S. and in the world," he said.
In fact, Nielsen said Toyota's decision to move its North American headquarters to Texas was based largely on the success of the San Antonio operation."
I can say with great certainty that the support we received here played no small part in our decision making for that location.
"Since the plant opened in 2008, it has turned out 2.2 million pickups, and it now producing trucks at the rate of one every minute.
It has also donated more than $45 million to local causes and charities.
Toyota has invested $28 billion in the San Antonio plant since making the announcement at the Institute of Texan Cultures back in 2003 that it had chosen San Antonio for its operations.