Ford Motor Co.’s plans to build a pair of massive electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky have made a lot of headlines, partly because of the scale of the projects and partly because of their potentially game-changing impact on local communities. Company and community leaders have been engaged in talks for more than two years to ensure the projects deliver the right combination of economic development, community improvement, labor relations, and environmental protection.
Ford and its partner, South Korean energy conglomerate SK Group, announced the plans in September 2021. At the time, the companies said they would invest $11.4 billion and create nearly 11,000 new jobs. In addition to the economic boost the projects should provide, they also represent a major step forward in United States efforts to transition away from gas-powered cars and toward more eco-friendly EVs.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” Bill Ford, Ford executive chair, said in a press release at the time. “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive — protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love, and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
Photo Courtesy Ford Newsroom
Part of the project includes a $5.6 billion mega campus called “BlueOval City,” located in the west Tennessee town of Stanton. The initial projection is that BlueOval City will create about 6,000 new jobs. The campus aims to “reimagine “how vehicles and batteries are manufactured by producing different products at the same location. “With the single largest investment in state history, this historic project brings thousands of jobs and new opportunities for Tennessee families to thrive,” Tennessee Governor Bill Lee shared.
Not only will Ford assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles at BlueOval City, but the campus will also include a BlueOval SK battery plant and facilities for critical suppliers and recycling.
Once fully operational, the factory is designed to be carbon neutral with zero waste to landfill. BlueOval City received a $9.2 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy to help accelerate development, Fast Company reported.
The project took another step forward in July 2023 with the announcement that Canadian auto parts supplier Magna International will invest more than $790 million to construct the first two supplier facilities at BlueOval City. According to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development, Magna will create roughly 1,300 new jobs in Tennessee.
Photo Courtesy Ford Newsroom
There is general agreement that the project will have a major economic impact on the area. Another hope is that it will bolster local communities near BlueOval City, many of which are predominantly Black and working class. Concerns have been raised that development on such a large scale will “change the community, suck up water and electricity, and prompt an influx of newcomers and development,” Fast Company noted.
To address those concerns, a coalition of local community leaders and citizens held a series of meetings that resulted in an agreement presented to the Ford-SK joint venture (JV).
The agreement requests that the JV help fund resources such as youth facilities and road improvements. It also seeks a “binding assurance that the joint venture will dispose of its waste properly,” according to Fast Company. Ford had previously voiced public support for many of these programs, but residents want to play a bigger role in how they are implemented and administered.
Dialogues between corporate and community leaders have been ongoing since BlueOval City was first unveiled. In October 2022, the Jackson Sun reported that members of the Ford and Ford SK team met with more than 400 community members to discuss issues ranging from employment competition to childcare, education, and the environment.
One of the company panelists was Vannessa Presson, a former employee at nearby Tyson Foods who joined BlueOval City as Human Resources manager. According to the Jackson Sun, she acknowledged concerns about childcare needs for those who find work at BlueOval City.
“Childcare is near and dear to my heart,” Presson said at the meeting. “I’ve been a single mom before. I know how difficult it is to get quality childcare that you feel comfortable with and letting that mom get into work. And then you look at the cost? We understand that childcare can prevent people from getting into the workforce, so we are engaged in conversations to find a way to alleviate that.”
Photo Courtesy Ford Newsroom
Another question submitted at the event concerned the plant’s environmental safety. Kel Kearns, plant manager, told the gathering that investing sustainably is “one of Ford’s highest priorities” and that BlueOval City is “being designed to ensure the protection of the streams and the wetlands around it.”
As the Jackson Sun noted, stormwater and pollution plans have been in the works to prepare for potential accidents.
“This will ensure that if there is an unexpected spill on site, then that the material doesn’t get into the surrounding wetlands and areas,” Kearns said.He added that Ford has also been involved in other projects, such as restoring 20,000 feet of stream on Lone Oaks Farm, a property owned by the UT Institute of Agriculture that Ford has invested $16.5 million in to restore.
