“The goal is really, looking statewide to see how we can improve accessibility to jobs. And then if the solution works, the lesson learned in one city may be applied to another city.”

The BlueOval Good Neighbors Coalition led a rally in Mason on Wednesday, Aug. 7., demanding access to the local community center and reiterating their demands for Ford Motor Co. to commit to a community benefits agreement. 

BlueOval SK’s new chief production officer, Jiwon Park, brings his more than 20 years of experience in the EV battery manufacturing industry to the new plant outside Stanton. 

The new deal will allow BlueOval SK’s parent company to secure lithium from ExxonMobil’s project in Arkansas for the EV batteries that will be made in BlueOval City. 

The BlueOval Good Neighbors Coalition wants a legally binding community development agreement to protect West Tennessee’s historically Black communities. 

Arlington’s growth, with a slight nod to the proposed BlueOval City plant, has nudged the project higher on the TDOT priority list. Mayor Mike Wissman said the town has sought the interchange work for years.

Kearns retired from Ford Motor Co.‘s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center in BlueOval City and will now lead Amplify Cell Technologies, an electric vehicle battery plant planned for Marshall County, Mississippi.

The automaker on Tuesday, May 14, released more details about its investments in the $5.6 billion mega campus as the assembly plant at the Ford Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center takes shape.

While increased interest rates and rising cost of materials have slowed the housing market, things could improve by the end of this year or the first of 2025.

As Ford Motor Co. inches closer to the 2025 opening of its BlueOval City megasite, the company’s philanthropic arm is investing in the West Tennessee communities on which Ford will rely for its workforce. 

“Landing Ford Motor Co. created a ripple effect statewide as we continue to see Tier 1 suppliers like Avancez choosing to locate in Tennessee,” said the Tennessee Economic and Community Development commissioner. 

Ford Motor Co.’s Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center has moved past the construction phase, and equipment installation is underway at the assembly plant, which will produce Ford’s next-generation electric truck, code-named Project T-3.

Each student selected for a Ford Auto Tech Scholarship will receive $5,000 in financial assistance for their education and training, including tuition, tools, living expenses and transportation.

Several commercial ventures including Lopez Grill and O’Reilly Auto Parts, are nearing completion in as interest increases in the suburb that’s in commuting distance of BlueOval City.

Despite Ford’s commitment to West Tennessee, the largest single-investment in the state’s history, Memphis economist John Gnuschke said an ongoing strike could spell trouble. 

With the construction site for Ford’s BlueOval City only 13 minutes away, the diocese is now preparing for an onslaught of development in the area.

Working with third-party consultants, BlueOval SK conducted wage and benchmarking studies to determine employee pay and benefits.

Chris Ivie expects the project to set standards for how temporary schools are built in an age of escalating weather disasters — the schools were destroyed by a March 31 tornado.

Altogether, Canada-based Magna International plans to invest $790 million to create three facilities to supply parts for the campus near Stanton, Tennessee.

One of the world’s largest automotive suppliers will build the first two supplier facilities at Ford’s BlueOval City supplier park in Stanton, Tennessee.

Chamber leadership met with media representatives in the Big Apple to discuss Memphis’ robust economic development pipeline, as well as the area’s workforce diversity.

Bartlett Mayor David Parsons says Bartlett’s housing stock is about to start showing some diversity. The recently elected mayor talked about a changing housing market and Bartlett’s first mixed-use development on “Behind The Headlines.”

Construction is expected to take two to three weeks. The gift from Ford will be at no cost to the district.