Ford Motor Co. confirmed on Thursday, Sept. 18, the 13 recipients for its inaugural Ford Good Neighbor Grants.

The grants total over $201,000 and are part of Ford’s Good Neighbor Plan for West Tennessee, a $9 million investment focused on building community, career preparation, and environmental protection.

Thirty-five groups applied for the initial Ford Good Neighbor Grants, with the awarded recipients from volunteer-run organizations in Tipton, Fayette, and Haywood counties.

The Megasite Authority of West Tennessee on Wednesday, July 23, approved a plan to protect the Memphis Sand Aquifer, which is underneath the megasite — home to Ford Motor Co.‘s $5.6 billion BlueOval City.

Ford’s electric vehicle truck and battery plant anticipates pumping several million gallons of water daily from the aquifer during peak operations.

Approval of the “Wellhead Protection Plan” is the culmination of years of negotiations between Protect Our Aquifer, the University of Memphis Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research, Ford and the Megasite Authority.

At the height of a sunny, wet day, media piled into a small van to tour Ford Motor Co.’s $5.6 billion BlueOval City in Stanton, Tennessee, for the first time since March 2023. 

The 3,600-acre, six-square-mile campus, where farmland was before May 2022, houses several buildings that will manufacture Ford’s next-generation electric pickup trucks and batteries.

BlueOval City has taken a huge step into coming online.

BlueOval SK (BOSK) — the joint venture battery supplier between Ford Motor Co. and South Korean company SK On — has moved into its Stanton facility as it prepares to begin production later this year. While Ford's Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center delayed its launch to 2027, BOSK is full steam ahead to open in 2025 in Haywood County.

A major West Tennessee employer is set to undergo a $97.7 million expansion, bringing 62 new jobs to Tipton County.

In partnership with Tipton County Community Development Council, Ford Blue Oval SK is cohosting a Lunch and Learn event on February 10th at 11:30 a.m. at the Covington Civic Center.

As part of its 10-year plan, Delivering for America, the United States Postal Service is focused on building a more stable and empowered workforce.  We are seeking Rural Carrier Associates to join our team.

Ford Motor Co. and its philanthropic wing, Ford Philanthropy, have unveiled a Good Neighbor Plan for West Tennessee.

Plant manager, BlueOval SK Battery Plant

As MBJ readers know, building the massive BlueOval SK Battery Plant is well underway. Once the plant is constructed and equipment installed, Tracy Church will lead the team that runs the plant’s operation while it produces lithium-ion battery cells and modules.

Kickstart your career this holiday season with Unilever Covington, in partnership with the Tipton County Community Development Council, at its hiring event on Wednesday, December 11 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at The Balcony, 36 Quinton Dr, Munford, TN.

Suppliers at BlueOval City are receiving PILOTs (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes) in exchange for projects with big wages and investments, according to draft agreements obtained by Memphis Business Journal.

New Childcare Solutions for Blue Oval City

The $5.6 billion BlueOval City project in Haywood County is expected to bring nearly 6,000 new jobs to the region from Ford Motor Co. and BlueOval SK (BOSK), plus thousands more at an on-site supplier park.

What’s surprising is the dollar cost associated with residents relocating to metro counties and moving beyond the area’s borders to cities in other states.

Covington (October 1, 2024) – Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Northwest held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 1, 2024, for the future home of its $49,500,000 Replacement Campus on the college’s Covington Campus.

Mark Herbison and county leaders are embracing the impact and laying the groundwork for the arrival of BlueOval City.

They're building the most sophisticated, most technologically advanced, most sustainable facility they've ever built

BlueOval Learning will prepare nearly 6,000 for jobs

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter announced today that Covington is the newest community to join the Tennessee Main Street Program.