MOMO Accessories Makes O.C. Its Home

MOMO Automotive Accessories Inc., one of the premier names in racing seats, custom wheels and custom steering wheels for the auto aftermarket, has moved its U.S. headquarters from Miami--its home for the past 17 years--to Orange County.

Steve Wilson, who was MOMO’s West Coast regional manager for the past seven years and now is general manager of the Italian firm’s U.S. operation, said the move was dictated by Southern California’s increasingly important role in the auto industry.

“California is our largest U.S. market, but more important are all the design studios and the overall California influence in automobile styles and trends,” he said. He spent several years discussing the possibility of a relocation with MOMO officials and was put in charge of the operation when the decision to do it was made this year.

The company is now in temporary headquarters in Laguna Hills but is moving into a 17,000-square-foot warehouse and administrative office complex in Lake Forest next month. Wilson said that none of the Miami employees wanted to make the move West, so he has hired 11 new people to augment his regional staff of five.