The international business community in Frankfurt RheinMain has grown once again: The KONG Company, the well-known US manufacturer of dog and cat toys, has opened its European office in Groß-Gerau.
The KONG Company was supported in its expansion by FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region (FRM Gmbh) in close collaboration with the Economic Development Board of Groß-Gerau County.
Thomas Will, County Commissioner of Groß-Gerau: "In economically challenging times, it is an absolutely positive sign when a U.S. company locates its European headquarters in our district. Not only does it show once again that our region is an internationally competitive location, but it is also further proof that membership in FRM GmbH is the right strategy for Groß-Gerau County to elevate its perception as a business location on an international stage. Not least, the close and trusting collaboration between our economic development team and the location experts at FRM GmbH has led to this success story."
The KONG Company was founded in 1976 by Joe Markham and is headquartered in the U.S. state of Colorado. The company designs and produces dog and cat toys, the most famous of which being a chew toy for dogs that was designed when Markham discovered that his German Shepherd, Fritz, liked to chew on the rubber suspension of his VW bus. A friend of Markham’s commented that the toy looked like one of King Kong’s earplugs, and thus a company name was born. At the beginning, The KONG Company sold most of its products in Israel, Japan, Australia, and the UK. In the 1980s, the company's rise also began in the USA.
"The KONG Company’s expansion once again underscores very clearly that Frankfurt RheinMain is one of the locations where global companies prefer to open their European headquarters. Thanks to its central location and excellently developed infrastructure, our region offers these companies perfect conditions for working closely with their partners and suppliers and serving customers throughout Europe," says Eric Menges, Managing Director of FRM GmbH.
The KONG Company has set up operations on the premises of partner Heinrich Dehn Logistics. In fact, the contact to KONG came about through the initiative of Thorsten N. Kern, CEO of Heinrich Dehn and member of the FRM GmbH advisory board. Heinrich Dehn acts as an external logistics provider, handling both the transport and storage of KONG products. The KONG Company will supply its products to the entire German and European market from its new location in Groß-Gerau. One of the sales’ partners who have the company's products in their assortment and who will be supplied from Frankfurt RheinMain is Fressnapf, a well-known chain of specialty stores for pet food and accessories.
Kathy Decker Frueh, President of The KONG Company: “Our subsidiary at Heinrich Dehn offers us the perfect opportunity to serve the needs of our European clients. From Groß-Gerau, we plan to expand our customer base in Europe.”
FRM GmbH supported the first steps of The KONG Company’s expansion. The North America Team of the regional economic development and location marketing agency coordinated the working relationship with local authorities, always in close collaboration with the Economic Development Board of Groß-Gerau County. KONG’s expansion has initially created 12 new jobs for the region.
