In 2002, DHL Americas relocated to Broward County from San Francisco, and Deutsche Post World Net spokesperson Stefanie Danne says the company has been pleased enough with the location to grow there, recently selecting a site in Plantation.
      "Having examined a number of sites for consolidation of the expanded DHL headquarters operations following the acquisition of Airborne in 2003, we felt that our experience in South Florida, the pro-business environment in this region, and the support of officials ranging from Governor Jeb Bush to Plantation city officials, made Broward County the optimal choice," she writes from the company's German global headquarters.
      In fall 2004, the company announced it was relocating 600 jobs to Broward County over the next three years, nearly doubling the headquarters employee base. More recently, the company's Smart and Global Mail operations started moving from Washington, D.C., which adds another 115 employees. "South Florida is a key gateway for DHL service to all parts of our Americas region — Canada, the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean," says Danne. "Having our headquarters here on the East Coast also enables us to work more easily with our corporate headquarters in Europe."
      Such growth ought to add considerably to the company's $160-million annual economic impact in Florida.
      Broward was also the chosen site for FedEx Ground, which announced in April 2005 its decision to build a 215,000-sq.-ft. (19,974-sq.-m.) distribution facility on a 27-acre (11-hectare) site in Pompano Beach, expected to open by summer 2006 with a work force of 356, up from the current 200. Top criteria in the Site Selection were proximity to customers, major highways and a strong local labor pool.
      The logistics focus of south Florida received added impetus earlier this year when Hyundai Mobis subsidiary Mobis Parts America decided to add another 60,000 sq. ft. (5,574 sq. m.) to its Flagler Station Business Park lease, growing its footprint by 50 percent after just moving in last year. Company officials credited the quick growth spurt to climbing market share in Latin America.