AUBURN HILLS — Auburn Hills announced that GKN will be signing a 15-year lease for the property at the former Showcase Cinema site. Novi-based Amson Dembs Development Inc. purchased the site at 2150 North Opdyke Road in June.
GKN Driveline and GKN Sinter Metals will be relocating its Americas Regional headquarters from its current site in Auburn Hills at 3300 University Drive, adjacent to the Auburn Hills municipal campus, to the new site, which had been vacant for 11 years prior to the sale to Amson Dembs. The new building is 168,056 square feet and will be situated on 11.2 acres zoned for technology and research. GKN’s current Auburn Hills’ office has more than 300 employees; an additional 50 employees or more are expected to be hired at the new location over the next three years.
The Auburn Hills City Council approved the new site at its July meeting. Altogether, the project between Amson Dembs, GKN, and the city of Auburn Hills was approved from start to finish in just 35 days, a process that typically takes six months or more with most city governments.
“We are pleased that GKN’s next growth phase will continue in Auburn Hills. The swiftness of this project reflects why businesses like GKN choose Auburn Hills as their corporate business address. We work with our corporate and state government partners to fast track business developments that strengthen our community through jobs and good corporate citizenship initiatives,” said Auburn Hills City Manager Pete Auger.
Robert Willig, president of GKN Driveline Americas, also said, “We are excited to continue to call Auburn Hills home and be a part of the community. Our new Americas regional headquarters signifies our continuing commitment to the region. We would like to thank the Auburn Hills City Council for the expeditious way they continue to work with us to make our plans a reality.”
