A Client Example: Why AVL Selected Plante & Moran CRESA
Universal Advisor, 2007 Issue No. 2

Please also read the companion piece, "The Plante & Moran CRESA Advantage: Your Exclusive Real Estate Champion"

AVL is the world’s largest privately owned and independent company for the development of powertrain systems with internal combustion engines as well as instrumentation and test systems. The company has 49 technical centers across the globe, 4 of which are located in the Midwest. Chairman and CEO Don Manvel recently discussed his decision to develop a facility in Plymouth, Mich., as well as why selecting a firm like Plante & Moran CRESA is an important step in the process.

What drove your decision to develop a location in Plymouth, Mich.?

It made sense strategically, as metro-Detroit is the epicenter of our North American customers.

Why did you select Plante & Moran CRESA to help with your facility location decision?

Because of our existing relationship with Plante & Moran. We’ve used virtually every arm of the Plante & Moran family for advice and support. Plante & Moran does our audit, we’ve worked with P&M Corporate Finance, the list goes on and on. Based on that relationship and quality of service, we were very confident in using Plante & Moran CRESA.

What did you find most helpful about working with Plante & Moran CRESA?

The fact that they were able to support us from soup to nuts. We’re a very sophisticated engineering company. We know how to engineer, but we aren’t real estate experts. We really appreciated the broad range of expertise that CRESA brought to the table, from working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and selecting the best building to negotiating the arrangement with the landlord and outfitting the building to our needs.

How important was partnering with an owner’s representative to AVL?

Very important. CRESA was able to act as our advocate; avoiding the potential for conflicts of interest was key for us.

What advice would you give another international firm that’s just beginning the process of locating a facility in North America?

Go to the MEDC in order to obtain municipal incentives! Those resources are invaluable. In addition, firms new to North America would be wise to find an organization like CRESA; there aren’t many firms that can provide that breadth of service while being affiliated with a firm that provides accounting, tax, and consulting services. They’ve been an invaluable partner throughout the process.