Hankook Tire America Corp. held a grand opening for its new distribution warehouse in Dayton, N.J., on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
The 433,000-square-foot facility can inventory 610,000 tires (for more information, see "Hankook will up inventory in N.J. by 70%").
An estimated 100 guests were on hand to listen to a speech by Hankook President Soo Il Lee. Here is a copy of the speech in its entirety.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here for the grand opening of Hankook Tire’s new state-of-the-art distribution center. Before I begin, I would like to welcome a number of guests that have traveled here today to celebrate this special occasion, including our valuable dealers, our shipping and logistics partners, our finance and leasing partners, contractors and all of the others that have made this day possible.
"In particular, I would like to welcome Frank Gambatese, the mayor of South Brunswick, N.J.; Councilmen Joe Camarota and John O’Sullivan; South Brunswick Chief of Police Raymond Hayducka; Dan Frankel, Allison T. Clancy and Tom Labassi of the Industry and Commerce Commission; and Charles Klatskin, Alex Klatskin, and Steve Seiden from Forsgate. Thank you for your participation.
"Hankook Tire has seen impressive growth in the U.S. market over the past number of years. It is the work of individuals such as you, our dealer partners, that have made this growth possible. It is also because of your efforts that we were recently able to achieve over $100 million in sales for the month of August. This is the first time in Hankook Tire America Corp.'s history that we have reached this mark, and it sets us firmly on our way to reach our goal of $1 billion in sales for 2011.
"We have taken a number of initiatives to help grow our sales and brand position here in the United States: from the Hankook billboard we placed in Time Square, our behind-home-plate signage in 22 Major League ballparks across the country, our “Great Catch” and “Great Hit” consumer rebate promotions, to our new “Be One With It” television advertising campaign.
"Hankook is dedicated to growing our business here in the northeast, and across the United States, and along with these marketing investments, this new warehouse and distribution center will help us to do exactly that.
"This facility’s increased storage capacity and better location, with convenient access to the area’s metropolitan centers, ports and major highways will allow us to better serve our customers and fulfill orders more efficiently. Providing exceptional service to our customers is very important to us, and this new facility is a clear commitment to that dedication. Furthermore, by successfully operating this leading-edge distribution center, we are contributing to the local economy.
"2011 marks the 30th anniversary of Hankook Tire America Corp. here in the United States. We have come a long way since our arrival here in the U.S., and this new facility will continue to allow us to grow and meet the needs of our customers and consumers alike.
"Again, thank you for being here with us on this special day, and let’s make 2011 a year to remember!"
