by Paula Anderson
In September 2021, Ford Motor Company announced the largest investment in electric vehicles. A $5.6 billion site will be erected in Stanton, Tennessee known as BlueOval City.
Several cities in West Tennessee will benefit from the historical investment, and Jackson is one of the cities.
Kyle Spurgeon, president and CEO of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce said, “A local team recruited BlueOval City to West Tennessee including Ted Townsend, chief economic development officer with the Greater Memphis Chamber and Mark Herbison with HTL Advantage, a three-county regional economic development agency are members of the team."
The Jackson Chamber is getting information daily about the project to help facilitate the growth that will occur in Jackson-Madison County. The return on investment is inevitable, but no one knows the exact growth and outcomes for the project at this point, stated Spurgeon.
“The project will impact suppliers, vendors, hotels, residential communities and provide new experiences for residents in West Tennessee,” said Spurgeon.
With the growth, considerations will need to be made for current and future residents in the city. Learning about community development is one of the goals to continue making improvements to the city.
“People want to ‘live, work and play’ in the same community,” stated Spurgeon.
"We will be taking 33 people to Greenville, SC, at the end of October to learn more about their community development work," said Spurgeon. “We want to learn from them and bring back ideas to enhance the quality of life for our current and future residents."
Relationships are key in development because people want to do business with those they know, like and trust.
“Building relationships is the cornerstone of ongoing development,” said Spurgeon. “Relationships with our existing businesses and industries are a key priority because we will not be successful without them.”
Workforce development will also be a key focus as BlueOval City will be hiring over 5,000 people.
“You must have people to make Jackson a better place to live and recruiting more people to Jackson is a significant project for us over the next several years,” said Spurgeon.
With new residents moving into the area comes a need for housing. A housing study is being done to understand the needs of the Jackson community.
“Ultimately, it’s a team effort as each city wants to complement the other, “said Spurgeon. “If we all improve in West Tennessee, then we all win.”
The MMBC Continuum is another key player in the Ford Blue Oval Project. MMBC is an economic development accelerator for minority and wowen-owned businesses. It offers certifications for Minority-Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) based in Memphis, Tenn.
Jozelle Booker, president and CEO of MMBC Continuum, shared thoughts about businesses who are seeking procurement opportunities with Ford BlueOval City.
“MMBC Continuum's certifications are listed on Ford’s Supplier & Diversity website as an approved certification,” said Booker.
Business owners who are seeking procurement opportunities can contact the MMBC Continuum about the certification process and visit Ford’s Supplier & Diversity website.
According to Booker, the construction opportunities are underway, however, there will be more procurement opportunities in other categories over the next two years.
Walbridge is the general contractor (GC) and anyone seeking opportunities would have to apply with the GC as a prime or subcontractor, stated Booker.
“The Ford BlueOval project is going to be transformative for the region,” said Booker.
There are so many opportunities that will become available as a result of 6,500 people working at the Ford plant along with the battery plant next to it, stated Booker.
Housing, support services, stores and new businesses will need to be created to meet the demands of this economic development infusion and growth.
TheCO., an entrepreneurship and innovation hub located in Jackson, Tennessee, will help meet the needs of new and aspiring entrepreneurs as more details unfold about BlueOval City.
“We have connected with a team from the Ford Fund — they have been great about learning more about what services that are currently offered in the community, and we’re in early stages of brainstorming ways we will work together,” said Lisa Garner, executive director of TheCO."
"Our role is to engage in brainstorming sessions and provide information and resources to members about upcoming opportunities," stated Garner.
TheCO. offers the CO-STARTERS entrepreneurship program for aspiring entrepreneurs who have a business concept and want to learn more about business development.
“We have been thinking about a food-based cohort for individuals who might want to start a food service business enterprise,” said Garner.
As the project continues to unfold more resources and opportunities will be available to businesses, residents and community stakeholders.
To learn more about Ford's Supplier Diversity, visit https://fordsupplierdiversity.com/.
To learn more about MMBC Continnum, visit https://www.mmbc-memphis.org.
To learn more about TheCO., visit https://www.attheco.com.
Paula Anderson is the founder of Writing by Design Media, Inc. She can be reached at editor@wbdmedia.com.