Toyota comes to town

Before ending his presentation, Lentz told a short story that he said reaffirmed his choice to move to Texas.

"I was having dinner with a man named Satoshi Ozawa, he serves as the executive vice president and board member at Toyota Motor Corporation. We were actually having dinner at a restaurant right here in Plano.

A few days later, I received a letter from our waiter and it read: I want to thank you again for dining with us. It was my distinct pleasure to facilitate your evening. I am very pleased to meet you and your distinguished guest from Japan and I would be honored to serve you again and welcome to the neighborhood.

Now I have to tell you, I have attended hundreds of business dinners throughout my career and I have never received a note from a waiter that worked with us to thank us for the business and welcoming us to the community.

It showed me two important things. Number one: it showed that people in Texas understand business, they understand loyalty, they understand customer satisfaction.

Number two: this experience really showed me the state's genuine hospitality."

Harry LaRosiliere, the mayor of Plano, also addressed the crowd.

"What is real exciting to me about Toyota being here is not so much the financial impact, but what is going to happen in the terms of the Toyota families coming to the Plano area," LaRosiliere said. "I just visited a plant in San Antonio and I had a recent trip to Japan to meet their leadership team.

And it's clear to me that Toyota is not simply a company that sells cars, but rather a company that seeks to improve the world through innovation. Their primary goal is to make the world a better place through the cars that they produce. They have a true focus on improving their people and the environment and enhancing their community."

After LaRosiliere left the stage, Texas Gov. Rick Perry spoke next.

"There's a lot to love about today as we proudly welcome Toyota's North American headquarters to the Lone Star State," Perry said. "Toyota has been a significant part of the story of Texas over the past decade and stands as a shining example of all we have worked hard to achieve: a major employer bringing quality jobs to Texas, helping to make their new communities even stronger."

"Toyota recognized our efforts to make our economic climate even more jobs-friendly," Perry said. "Every job that's created in Texas has a ripple effect, creating new opportunities for Texans and their families not just with jobs here, but with new jobs that arise as a result of Toyota's arrival."

While the press conference began in the Marriott at Legacy Town Center ballroom, the Plano West Senior High School drumline entered the ballroom with a cadence and Lentz asked all 400 people to proceed outside for the rest of the presentation.

When outside, guests were joined by the drill team, cheerleaders and marching band from Plano West and a group of student ambassadors from the Plano ISD Academy High School.

As a thank you to the city, Lentz first announced a donation of six Toyota Tundra pickups, which were manufactured in the San Antonio plant. LaRosiliere said the trucks would be put to work immediately.

After the first donation was announced, Anastasia "Nastia" Liukin, a Plano native, joined Lentz on stage.

Lentz then announced a second donation to Plano ISD, but first asked Liukin how much he should donate.

She first suggested $50,000. Lentz said she could do better so she countered with $100,000.

After laughter from the crowd subsided, Lentz announced he is donating $1 million to the Plano ISD Academy High School.

After the presentation, the Hello Texas event opened to the public and featured food from 18 Plano restaurants and live music which was all paid for by Toyota as a thank you.

At a short question and answer session after the press conference, Lentz said that about 25 Toyota executives have already moved to the area, Lentz included, and expects about 25 more to do the same by the end of the year. More will make the move in 2015.

He also said that every employee has been promised that there will be a job for them in Texas. At this point, he is not sure how many are planning to move, but there will be presentations and information sessions available to all employees over the coming months so they can make an informed decision when the time comes.

He hopes that he will have a rough estimate of how many employees will transition to Texas in late 2015 as the project progresses.