Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
Upon his arrival in America, La Mothe adopted his title after the town of Cadillac, Gironde in southwestern France. The city of Detroit became the world center of automobile production in the 20th century. William H. Murphy and Henry M. Leland founded the Cadillac auto company and paid homage to him by using his name for their company and his armorial bearings as its logo in 1902. Various places bear his name in America, in particular Cadillac Mountain in Maine and the town of Cadillac, Michigan.
Tower International
Tower International was formed in 1993, however many of the engineering and manufacturing operations date back further. A.O. Smith Automotive Products Company, which was acquired by Tower International in 1997, has roots dating back to the early days of the automotive industry. The 1903 Cadillac was produced on the first steel frame which was invented by A.O. Smith. In the 1920s their first fully automatic frame line with adjustable riveting robots became known as a “Mechanical Marvel”. On October 15, 2010, Tower International common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange following the initial public offering (“IPO”).