Yamaha dedicates new facility

Yamaha Motor Corp. officially dedicated its new office and distribution warehouse in Pleasant Prairie, Wis., with a combination of Japanese and American ceremony.
The building, which has been in operation since early July, houses a regional sales office; the snowmobile sales and marketing regional headquarters; and a parts and service center into a new 164,000 square-foot building near the Illinois border.
“To some people, Wisconsin is the land of the cheesehead, to us it’s the land of the motorhead.” Steve Kato, president of Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A., told an assembled group.
The event featured several speakers, including Toru (Tim) Hasegawa, president of Yamaha Motor Company Ltd. Japan. David Hagman, president of the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce, presented Yamaha with a key to the city.
The event also included tours of the new facility, a ceremonial ribbon cutting, a traditional Japanese saki ceremony and the planting of a Japanese lilac tree outside of the building.
“The LakeView Midwest Headquarters is the last step in the US investment,” Hasegawa told those gathered.”We are prepared to support other business growth into the future.”
Hasegawa also added that 40% of Yamaha’s business is in North America and that the company has experienced 12 consecutive years of growth in the U.S.