This morning the Chrysler Group announced a new move to show
their support for the city of Detroit with the renaming of the old Dime
Building as the new Chrysler House.The
Chrysler House will soon serve as the new home of the Great Lakes Business
Center and with the 70 employees who will work at the new Chrysler offices in
downtown Detroit will be CEO Sergio Marchionne – who will have a new office and
a private conference room in the new facility.
The Chrysler Group has long been questioned by critics for
their claims of being a “Detroit automaker” even though their headquarters are
in Auburn Hills Michigan.Chrysler is
the only automaker to have two production facilities in the city of Detroit
(Jefferson North – home of the Durango and Grand Cherokee/ Conner Ave – Home of
the mighty Viper) but with the announcement that they will have a 33,000 square
foot office space in downtown Detroit, Chrysler stakes its claim as a true
Detroit automaker.
In addition to the building at 719 Griswold Street in
Detroit having its name changed from the Dime Building to the Chrysler House,
the Chrysler Group offices will occupy the top two floors of the uniquely
shaped 23-floor tower in the Motor City. The company expects to have the business offices moved into their new
facility by the end of summer – which is pretty vague – but the important part
of this article is that the Chrysler Group continues to strengthen its position
in Detroit as the Motor City works to regain the glory of yesteryear.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
This morning the Chrysler Group announced a new move to show