The flight of companies to Texas continues, as a car accessory company has closed its manufacturing plants in New York and California to take advantage of lower taxes and less expensive properties in the Lone Star State.
The Vehicle Accessory Group’s (VAG) move was celebrated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday in Mesquite. Gov. Greg Abbott, Mesquite Mayor Daniel Aleman Jr., City Manager Cliff Keheley, VAG Chairman J. Pearson, and executive vice president and chief quality officer for Toyota North America Chris Nielsen were in attendance along with more than 150 business leaders and local officials.
“We are proud that Texas is home to the world’s best automotive companies,” Abbott told attendees, according to a news release. “With this new manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters, Vehicle Accessory Group is moving more than 300 jobs from New York and California and creating over 600 new jobs right here in Texas. Companies like Vehicle Accessory Group know that when they bring their business and their employees to Texas, our great state can deliver the business climate, workforce, and infrastructure they need to thrive.
“Texas is the economic engine of America, where entrepreneurs can cast a vision and know they live in a state where they can achieve it. ‘Made in Texas’ is a powerful global brand, and we look forward to working with the Vehicle Accessory Group as we continue to build a bigger, better Texas for all.”
Pearson told NBC 5 DFW that moving production and more than 300 employees to Texas was an easy decision given that the company’s lease in Texas is half the price of what it was in California. The company is even sharing some of that savings with its employees, according to Pearson.
VAG, which specializes in “[p]retty much anything to take your vehicle to the next level,” joins a growing list of companies moving from California to Texas. Large and small companies alike continue to leave the West Coast for Texas, primarily because the business climate in the Lone Star State is more appealing, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.