MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It was one year ago Tuesday that one of America’s most venerable companies unveiled a project that promises to completely transform the economic fortunes of West Tennessee and beyond. On a platform filled with political and business leaders, Ford Motor Company fulfilled a lot of longtime dreams by announcing it will build an electric truck assembly plant on what was known as the Memphis Regional Megasite.
Today, it carries the name BlueOval City, and Ford officially broke ground on the site last week. In the coming months, a sprawling $5.6 billion dollar campus will begin taking shape in Haywood County just off Interstate 40, some 50 miles east of Memphis. The trucks are expected to begin rolling off the assembly line by 2025.
And if you think little has been happening in the year since Ford made the announcement, think again. The company has been working with state and local officials, along with scores of local and regional businesses, on how they can take advantage of Ford’s largest development project in its history.
Plus, local communities in east Shelby and the counties surrounding Haywood are poised to see a building boom like never before.
The important thing now for Memphis and its suburban cities is to do what’s needed to prepare a workforce that Ford will need. Because this is our golden opportunity to begin moving from poverty to prosperity.