Ford Motor Co. and Ford Philanthropy recently invested in five West Tennessee K-12 schools to provide each with new state-of-the-art labs.  

The Ford Future Builders Labs have turned some that classrooms are often underutilized into new hands-on, collaborative learning centers.

The Builder Labs are set to allow teachers to use a curriculum that combines traditional academic learning with new tools to better prepare students for the workforce.

Despite setbacks at its BlueOval City project in Stanton, Ford Motor Co. remains dedicated to helping to transform West Tennessee communities.

On April 8, the Michigan-based automaker announced it had invested nearly $11.7 million across West Tennessee through its Good Neighbor Plan. The amount exceeds the $9 million commitment Ford made when it launched the Good Neighbor Plan in January 2025.

The initiative is primarily designed to serve areas around BlueOval City, where one-third of households have an income of less than $50,000 a year.

The Good Neighbor Plan is focused on key needs identified by Ford Community Relations, the Equitable Growth Advisory Council and Ford Philanthropy.

“The result is real-world impact that we’re seeing right in our backyard,” Gabby Bruno, Ford’s director of community relations, said in a news release.

Here is a breakdown of where the funds from Ford's Good Neighbor Plan are going in West Tennessee.

Tennessee’s friendly small towns are shaped by the Great Smoky Mountains to the east and a deep tradition of Southern hospitality that still shows up in their downtowns and festivals. In Jonesborough, the state’s oldest town, the Chester Inn and the National Storytelling Festival give the streets a warm, welcoming personality rooted in living history. In Lynchburg, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery and a courthouse-square downtown filled with barbecue and historic sites make visitors feel instantly at ease. From mountain gateways to quiet Main Streets, these Tennessee towns show how easy it is to feel right at home in Tennessee.

Tens of thousands of students across the Mid-South are returning to school after the holiday break. In Tipton County, elementary and middle school students are starting the New Year in brand new building.

The new schools are named Covington Elementary and Middle schools.

It's been a long road to get here. In 2023, an EF-3 tornado hit Covington and destroyed Crestview Elementary and Middle schools. Students have spent the past 2 1/2 years in temporary buildings while the new schools were being built.

The new Covington Elementary and Middle School is ready to welcome students.

Wednesday marked the ribbon-cutting of the new schools, which replace Crestview Middle and Elementary, formerly located on a joint campus that had its buildings destroyed in a tornado nearly two years ago.

Covington marks a special milestone this year: 2025 is the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding. Two centuries of stories, life experiences, evolution and change, not always such smooth transitions. 

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.