After temporarily basing its operations at the company's plant in Sparta, where it makes starters and alternators for the automotive aftermarket, Vista-Pro has now hired or transferred the first 35 workers for its new headquarters in the Two Lakeview Place building in Century City Office Park, said Steve Hoane, the company's vice president of sales and marketing.
Vista-Pro Chief Executive Officer Roger Brown said Nashville was chosen for the headquarters because of its "central location, quality of life, high-quality work force and great infrastructure."
15 will transfer from Conn.The company is the combination of Wynnchurch Capital's Vista Automotive LLC, created last year from assets of the bankrupt Visteon, and the North American operations of Proliance International Inc., formerly based in New Haven, Conn.
An additional 15 former Proliance employees will move from New Haven within the next month, bringing the total of Vista-Pro headquarters workers to 50, Hoane said.
An additional 50 will be transferred from other cities over the next year.
Hoane said the combined company has about 1,700 employees at its U.S. and Mexican plants.
The company also makes one part in Bowling Green, Ky., for the Chevrolet Corvette. It is the only example of a product that Vista-Pro provides directly to an auto manufacturer.
Most of its products are sold to automotive service facilities and parts warehouses, Hoane said.
While suppliers to the beleaguered automakers have struggled over the past two years, automotive aftermarket suppliers have thrived because many people are keeping their cars longer, putting off new-vehicle purchases and spending money on maintenance instead, Hoane said.
"The economic downturn has actually been good for us," he said.
"The more miles people drive their cars, the better it is for the aftermarket."
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