A pair of very large scissors and an orange carpet were rolled out in the Fort Lauderdale sun Friday afternoon.
The orange-themed German rental car company, Sixt-Rent-A-Car, opened its North American headquarters in the city.
Sixt, which is known for renting luxury vehicles at “an economy cost,” will add 300 new jobs to the area over the next five years. Florida’s recently released October jobs report showed unemployment across the state is down to a decade-low 3.6 percent. In Broward County, that number is even lower, at 3.3 percent.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler helped cut the official ribbon. The city worked with Enterprise Florida and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance to bring Sixt and its hundreds of new jobs to Broward's piece of the Sunshine State. Seiler said that this kind of development and corporate culture is what will keep unemployment down in Broward in the coming years.
“Fantastic job numbers, but it doesn’t happen without investments from people like Mr. Sixt,” Seiler said. “It’s a great day for the city of Fort Lauderdale.”
The investments that the Sixt company is bringing to Broward total about $10.4 million.
Erich Sixt, chief executive of the company, flew in from South Germany for the opening. He says it’s cold enough there to consider moving the entire company to Fort Lauderdale.
“This is the beginning of a great, great time for Sixt at our new headquarters, a symbol,” he said. “We put down a flag.”
The company celebrated the opening with a staff party full of German folk music and beer inside of the newly renovated headquarters building.
The global car company chose Broward County over sites in Texas, Georgia and California. Now, the company can be closer to its largest rental locations, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport.
