Regardless of BMW’s ubiquity within the U.S. market, the producer has solely actually been promoting vehicles Stateside for 50 years. That’s not rather a lot — particularly in comparison with home manufacturers like Ford. An integral a part of any operation is its house base. On this case, we’re speaking about BMW’s North America headquarters, which has gone by means of a number of totally different iterations because the Nineteen Seventies. 5 a long time of progress — and gross sales — meant that the group would frequently outgrow its previous digs.
The Early Years: Montvale and a Transfer
BMW of North America was based in 1975, utilizing the previous Hoffman Motors Company constructing in Montvale, NJ. The constructing was designed with round 13,000 annual imports in thoughts. Which will have been advantageous early on, nevertheless it shortly grew to become clear that BMW of North America was going to be huge. As in, method greater than the constructing may accommodate. By the mid-Nineteen Eighties, BMW NA was shifting 100,000 vehicles per yr and had 370 staff on the payroll. Enlargement was crucial, and a transfer was imminent.
In 1986, then CEO Dr. Günther Kramer commissioned a brand new, 205,000 square-foot facility. The brand new, fashionable facility would transfer the bottom of operations to Woodcliff Lake, NJ — just a few miles south of Montvale. Now situated at 300 Chestnut Ridge Rd, BMW of North America now had the area to combine Motorrad workers, which previously labored out of a constructing in Norwood, NJ, into the brand new format whereas providing ample area for the a number of hundred staff. The Montvale constructing continued to accommodate the Jap Area workers, and Kramer purchased 40 extra acres of surrounding land to make sure loads of room for development. Discuss considering forward.
BMW of North America Outgrows a Second HQ
Whereas the model thrived on the new facility, it too would show too small. By the early 2000s, BMW of North America’s gross sales had risen to just about 300,000 vehicles per yr. Workers numbers, naturally, rose accordingly. The brand new CEO, Tom Purves, acquired a further 45 acres that included the previous Ingersoll-Rand headquarters at 200 Chestnut Ridge Rd. The stage was set for a significant enlargement, and that’s precisely what Purves did. BMW of North America added 220,000 sq. ft of latest amenities on the land, with the Ingersoll-Rand constructing housing Motorrad and the previous Hoffman constructing in Montvale exiting the image totally.
The “South Campus,” because it grew to become designated took three years to return to fruition. Whereas Motorrad and the Jap Area workers loved new digs, they have been removed from the one ones. A lot of the brand new area comprised engineering workshops and car storage amenities. The South Campus addition meant that BMW of North America had room for as much as 1,000 staff. That’s almost triple what the unique Montvale facility may maintain!
In fact, there was nonetheless extra work to do. The 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing wanted inside updates that introduced the HQ into the 21st century. BMW of North America introduced in an architect to upfit the constructing as an open-plan workspace. As COVID appeared and BMW of North America deserted a strict work-from-office method, it additionally got here to mild that the 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing wanted vital structural repairs. With much less staff within the workplace than ever, it was time for one more changeup for BMW HQ.
Goodbye to 300 Chestnut Ridge
December 13th, 2024, marked the final day of the 300 Chestnut Ridge constructing’s service in BMW of North America’s stewardship. The constructing and land have been bought to a developer. In the meantime, BMW constructed up the previous Ingersoll-Rand constructing — now dubbed 200 BMW Drive. “With the brand new BMW North America headquarters, we foster cohesion, innovation energy, and finally development and success,” says BMW AG boardmember for Folks and Locations Ilka Horstmeier. “It’s not nearly the place we work, however extra importantly, how we work. It’s about adopting extra agile methods of working, utilizing digital instruments and strategies, and thereby driving our efficiency.”
As additional proof that BMW of North America is newly dedicated to hybrid work and the pliability it presents, the automaker can also be offloading among the land bought adjoining to the previous headquarters. Parting with 21 acres is barely logical now that hybrid work has grow to be the norm. BMW of North America’s newest HQ changeup marks the primary time the corporate has “downsized” its HQ — nevertheless it’s most likely not the final swap we’ll see. Who is aware of what BMW NA’s subsequent iteration will take?
Supply: BMW USA
