Kawasaki Motors Corporation Commemorates 50th Anniversary in the U.S. With New North American HQ

From a Kawasaki press release:

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. today announced the location of its new North American corporate headquarters at 26972 Burbank, Foothill Ranch, California, 92610. Kawasaki has been in Orange County, California since 1969 and is reaffirming its commitment to the community by signing a 15-year lease on a 200,000 square-foot facility just four miles from its current Irvine location. 2016 will be Kawasaki’s 50th anniversary in the U.S. and the move to its new location will be fully complete by the Summer.

“Our purpose in securing a new corporate headquarters is centered around two primary objectives,” said Masa Nakagawa, President and CEO, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. “First, with more than 300 of our staff being based in or around Orange County it is critical that our new location remain central to the community. Second, as Kawasaki celebrates its 50th Anniversary in the U.S. in 2016, we wanted to cultivate a new environment that creates and exemplifies the Kawasaki brand and products, and we believe this new space will do just that.”

“As an avid fan of Kawasaki’s products, I am proud and excited to welcome Kawasaki Motors Corporation and its prestigious and iconic brand to the City’s diverse mix of business industries and top employers,” said the Honorable Scott Voigts, Mayor of City of Lake Forest. “The City of Lake Forest commends Kawasaki on its notable business achievements to date and we look forward to facilitating the company’s continued growth and expansion in Lake Forest.”

The new headquarters will be a prominent fixture in the heart of Foothill Ranch, which is part of the city of Lake Forest, and is adjacent to the Foothill Ranch Towne Centre and many other amenities. H. Hendy Architects will handle the internal design that will include all new finishes, modifications to allow more natural light, second floor offices, an expansive ground floor and a host of environmentally-friendly additions. The building will feature a mix of corporate offices, research and development facilities, racing and technical workshops, warehouse space and parking.

“We have been fortunate to work with Kawasaki in Southern California for the last 30 plus years,” said CBRE Senior Vice President, Gregg Haly. “Kawasaki senior management’s direction was to locate a new facility that would allow them to create a work environment consistent with the brand/culture of Kawasaki within close proximity of the current headquarters. After engaging H. Hendy Associates (architect) and David Hahn (project manager) we started the process of identifying a new facility that would meet Kawasaki’s needs in the first quarter of 2015. After evaluating multiple options, Kawasaki selected the Burbank facility which will be a great home for Kawasaki for many years to come.”

Southern California commercial real estate and investment firm CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) represented both Kawasaki and the landlord of the new Foothill Ranch office. Gregg Haly, Jeff Carr and Kenji Sakai led the CBRE team who began the search for a new Kawasaki headquarters shortly after the KMC Irvine location was sold in March, 2015.

Stay up to date on the latest Kawasaki news and product innovations by visiting www.kawasaki.com.