STANTON — Three years after the official groundbreaking, construction continues at BlueOval City, the Ford Company’s sprawling auto plant in Stanton.
For those who aren’t familiar with the project, here is a brief overview:
What is BlueOval City? The name “BlueOval City” refers to the Ford Plant that is currently under construction in Haywood County near exit 42 on I-40. An accompanying South Korean battery plant is located nearby, also under construction.
The plant was originally designed to produce all-electric F-150 Ford Lightening Trucks, but plans have now shifted to also include the production of “hybrid” vehicles.
Located roughly 40 miles east of Memphis, BlueOval City will eventually cover approximately 4,100 acres, making it the largest in the nation. The plant is expected to employ roughly 10,000 people when fully operational.
The projected cost of the plant is $5.6 billion, which would make it the most expensive single investment in Tennessee history, and Ford intends to invest more than $500 million in growth incentives to support infrastructure, roads and schools.
It is estimated that the population within a 20-minute radius of BlueOval will grow by 90,000 people within 10 years.
What is the TBMB involvement with BlueOval City? The TBMB has been focused on BOC since the earliest days of the plant, quickly implementing evangelistic plans for the region after construction started.
The TBMB hopes to open doors for at least 40 new church plants in the area over the next 10 years.
Block parties, joint worship services, children’s Bible clubs, youth events and a company-wide luncheon (in which TBC volunteers and TBDR teams provided a free meal to more than 1,000 construction workers) were just a few of the events that the TBMB and the BlueOval Coalition of churches hosted during the early days of development.
Danny Sinquefield serves as the coordinator of the TBMB’s BlueOval City Partnership and Eddie Pate was recently named as regional catalyst.
Sinquefield, who also serves as Harvest Field 1 Team Leader for the TBMB, said the BlueOval City Initiative has been successful because of the cooperation of churches around the state.
He added that he is thankful for the generosity of the TBC churches in their “gifts through the corporate program and through the Golden Offering.”
What’s happening with BlueOval City? The Ford Company announced in August of 2024 that it was pushing back the target date of its production launch until 2027 or 2028, citing the need to “utilize lower-cost battery technology,” and take other cost-related measures.
The delayed production schedule seemed to indicate a shift in Ford’s electric vehicle strategy as the company looks for ways to cope with struggling EV sales. With the electric-vehicle mandate now repealed, Ford has shifted some of its focus to hybrid vehicles.
Construction has continued on the BOC campus, and it is still projected to make a major impact in Stanton and the surrounding areas.
Tennessee lawmakers approved nearly $1 billion for the $5.6 billion project three years ago, when the Ford Company set an initial production-date goal of 2025. B&R
