Memphis area industry recruiters share stories of how West Tennessee landed “the big one.”

Gov. Bill Lee will call a special session of the General Assembly on Oct. 18, he announced in a tweet Thursday, Sept. 30. COVID-related legislation may also be on the table.

Arlington, Bartlett and Lakeland could emerge as the suburban municipalities that benefit most from Blue Oval City given its proximity to the Haywood County site. Arlington and Lakeland also seem prime for more growth in both housing and retail development before Ford’s announcement, this may only accelerate that process.

The Memphis Regional Megasite will have its own Tennessee College of Applied Technology campus.

“Blue Oval City will be the biggest auto manufacturing (site) in our 118-year history,” said Ford president and CEO Jim Farley. “It will also be the cleanest and most efficient. It will produce electric vehicles on a scale we couldn’t have even imagined 10 years ago.” 

Ford will build three electric-battery factories in Kentucky and Tennessee to make batteries for the next generation of Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles.

Ford Motor Company has selected the Memphis Regional Megasite for an electric vehicle and battery manufacturing campus, investing $5.6 billion and creating 5,800 jobs. Gov. Bill Lee said it was “the largest single investment in this state’s history.”