Lincoln Mercury Opening Set for July
The date is official: Lincoln Mercury will open its world headquarters in Irvine on July 17.
The car maker, a division of Ford Motor Co., made history earlier this year when it became the first U.S. car operation to move out of Michigan since World War II.
Lincoln Mercury division chief James O’Connor, who did a stint in California for Ford years ago, said the move is an effort to break out of the Detroit straitjacket and imbue the sluggish unit with a dose of Southland creativity.
About 50 corporate employees will be moving to California, and Lincoln Mercury plans to hire nearly 100 more once it gets here.
The initial office will be in a leased facility at 19 Technology Way. While working from there for a year or so, Lincoln Mercury will be building its own custom office complex on 11 acres in the Spectrum business complex on Irvine Center Drive, next door to Mazda Motor of America Inc. (whose Japanese parent, Mazda Motor Corp., is controlled by Ford).
Lincoln Mercury expects to move into its permanent new home late next year.
In addition to the 150 Lincoln Mercury employees the move brings to Orange County, the corporate relocation from Michigan will bring 130 advertising employees to a new Young & Rubicam office in Irvine. The agency has been Lincoln Mercury’s advertising agency for the past 17 years.
John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturing for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com.
