Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Speaks To Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Members of the Sandy Springs-Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, elected officials and guests had a chance to sit down for a chat this week with Dietmar Exler, the relatively new CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA).

Exler, a native of Austria, was the featured speaker for the October Chamber luncheon, but rather than take the podium, as is the norm for luncheon speakers, Exler sat down with Jim Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of CBT Automotive Network, for an informal Q&A, and took questions from the audience following the presentation.

The luncheon was co-sponsored by BB&T, CBT Automotive Network and Northside Hospital.

Exler oversees the company’s passenger cars and the smart brand for the U.S. and NAFTA regions, as well as MBUSA’s 1,500 employees and 373 dealers throughout the U.S., plus 1,240 employees in Canada and Mexico.

He is also responsible for the completion of the company’s innovative new headquarters, now under construction at the corner of Barfield and Abernathy roads in Sandy Springs, and scheduled to open in early 2018. The move to Sandy Springs brought the company a unique opportunity to plan for the future by designing and building a headquarters building from scratch to support the culture Exler and his team are trying to create.

Exler is understandably excited about the new headquarters, telling the audience it will include a gym and fitness center, state-of-the art cafeteria and onsite childcare facility. Designed to foster collaboration between employees, he said the work areas have less “me space” and more “we space."

Once the building is open, there will be additional people and equipment moving to Sandy Springs from New Jersey, since it wasn’t feasible to move everyone and everything twice: first to the temporary office and then again to the permanent location.

As exciting as the headquarters is, Exler said the real story of Mercedes-Benz USA is the company’s culture.

“Our company is small enough for people to know each other, but large enough to take on projects and have a significant impact in the communities we serve," he added. "I strongly believe that people who know each other work better together. When we moved our headquarters from New Jersey to Sandy Springs, our culture went in a totally new direction. 60 percent of our workforce is made up of new hires since the move and they are a mix of experienced workers and younger professionals who are just starting out. Their enthusiasm and passion are very positive for the company.”

Fitzpatrick asked Exler about Millennials as a customer group for MBUSA and how they are different from more traditional luxury automobile purchasers.

“In general, Millennials do a great deal of online research in advance of visiting a dealership,” Exler said, “Where an older customer might visit several dealers and test drive a number of cars, many younger customers arrive at the dealership already knowing what model they want to purchase. In this way, the dealership becomes more of a delivery center. It’s not for us to decide what’s best for the customer. Our job is to meet their needs.”

Looking to the future, Exler told the audience that Mercedes-Benz will offer 10 fully electric vehicle models by 2025. He also discussed the concept of driverless, or autonomous cars.

“Mercedes-Benz already offers vehicles with autonomous features like lane-keeping assistance and automatic breaking," he said. "But there are difficult challenges to creating fully autonomous cars. First, you have to take into account human interaction and human error. There are also a number of conditions that are difficult for machines to navigate such as snow-covered roads. Expressway driving works better for autonomous vehicles than city driving, of course. It’s a fascinating journey and I believe we will have more autonomous options in the next 10 years, but not fully driverless cars by then."

Exler concluded by saying that before he moved to Georgia, he had heard about Southern Hospitality, but the warm welcome he and his company have received far exceeded his expectations. “Many of the local businesses such as UPS, Coke, Cox, and others reached out to us to see how they could help MBUSA settle in. The day my wife and I moved into our new home, neighbors introduced themselves and invited us to a party. I am very grateful for the welcome we have received and am very happy to be here.”

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), soon to be headquartered in Sandy Springs, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz products in the United States. MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse lineup in the luxury segment ranging from the sporty CLA-Class four-door coupe to the flagship

S-Class and the Mercedes-AMG GTs. MBUSA is also responsible for Mercedes-Benz Vans and smart products in the U.S. Dietmar Exler is president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. www.mbusa.com

About the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber

The Chamber was formed in 2008 to serve businesses in the City of Sandy Springs and the north Perimeter area. With leadership from an elected Board of Directors, and working in partnership with city government, the Chamber’s mission is to maximize the business success of its members, strengthen the competitiveness of the Sandy Springs business community and enhance economic prosperity of the area. Ongoing initiatives include workforce and economic development, business education, community service and networking opportunities for members. Tom Mahaffey is president of the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber. www.sandyspringsperimeterchamber.com

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Photo: Dietmar Exler, left, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA and Jim Fitzpatrick, CEO of CBT Automotive Network. Photo by Kyle Valencia, www.ValenciaProductions.com