Updates & Construction News

Marshall's MAJOR Campus is creating local jobs and attracting future investment.

Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is the first business announced for the MAJOR Campus and is on track to create 1,700 local jobs.

Construction of the facility is in full swing with hundreds of workers in and around the site, providing an incredible economic boost to the community. Hundreds of construction workers are visiting area businesses and dining at local restaurants.


“For decades, Marshall has been planning for a development like the one Ford is building,” said James Durian, CEO of Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance. “It’s exciting to see a revered American company like Ford now on track to create new jobs and invest in its automotive future right here."

At the end of 2024, Ford finished the steel construction on the 1.8 million-square-foot facility where 1,700 people will work. Hundreds of skilled trades workers work in or around the MAJOR Campus with Battle Creek-based Hoffman Brothers, Lansing-based Granger Construction and more than 20 contractors to do the water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. That’s on top of the hundreds of Walbridge employees working on the BlueOval facility.


The Ford project in Marshall continues to rack up significant milestones since it was announced in February 2023. These accomplishments include:

  • completion of critical water and sewer infrastructure projects such as the installation of 80 new fire hydrants along 14 miles of nearby roadways, which gives firefighters quick access to water to fight fires and helps keep response times low.
  • completion of steel construction for the 1.8 million-square-foot facility that will be Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan.
  • successful transfer of 500 acres of land to BlueOval Battery Michigan LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford, making it the largest industrial property owner in Marshall and generating more than $2 million annually in new revenue to the City of Marshall.

In July, the Marshall Township Fire Department firefighters moved into their new station as the Township has taken ownership of the facility. The station’s move allows road improvements to continue near the site of Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan. Details about the new station are included in this press release.

In 2026, Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan is expected to begin producing batteries for electric vehicles. It is located on 500 acres of the Marshall Area Jobs, Opportunities and Recreation (MAJOR) Campus, which has 2,000 acres for future businesses.


Ford has been a supportive community partner well before production begins at its Marshall facility. The automaker has donated more than $600,000 to the region, supporting a variety of community events, programs and amenities, including funding to make much needed improvements to the city of Marshall's historic fountain, which dates back to 1930.

Ford is committed to being a good neighbor and recently announced a $25,000 donation to the city of Marshall to support its efforts to plant new trees throughout the city to earn Tree City USA recognition once again.

Infrastructure work with the MAJOR Campus to create more reliable water and wastewater service

Investment in water infrastructure can stimulate job creation and economic growth and more reliable water and wastewater service.

The MAJOR campus has about 2,000 acres situated west of downtown Marshall, southeast of Battle Creek, bounded on the north by Michigan Avenue (M-96), the Kalamazoo River on the south, 12 Mile Road on the west and Bear Creek on the east.

The first facility to receive water and sewer service will be Ford's BlueOval Battery Park Michigan. The BlueOval project location will occupy an approximate 500-acre portion of the MAJOR campus east of 13 Mile Road.

The remainder of the MAJOR campus will be used for future developments and recreational space that will also be served by the public water and sewer infrastructure referenced in this document.

An investment in greenspace, trees and recreational areas at the MAJOR Campus

More than 400 acres of the campus is dedicated to green space, including parks, conservation easement, trails and environmental protection efforts.

The recent landscaping work at the MAJOR Campus includes planting 1,067 trees and hundreds of shrubs. Trees planted include white spruce, white pine, dawn redwood and six other varieties.

MAJOR Campus Development Includes Conversation, Recreation Areas

More than 250 acres of the MAJOR Campus in Marshall are designated conservation areas with future nature trails. The conservation easement will preserve the local habitats of plants and animals. The easement is expected to open in the summer of 2026 with hiking trails along the river.

New stormwater culverts will replace those with structural damage, create systems that meet environmental guidelines

The MAJOR Campus work includes two stormwater culverts to make structural improvements and meet environmental requirements.

Two stormwater culverts are located under railroad lines south of the future BlueOval Battery Park Michigan and north of the Kalamazoo River between C Drive North and 15 Mile Road.

This work provided much needed improvements to the culverts, which had been blocked by sediment and debris and appeared to have structural challenges. New culverts meet extensive stormwater requirements laid out by the city of Marshall, Calhoun County, Amtrak, the Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.