Event in Marshall attracts hundreds of local companies interested in helping build BlueOval Battery Park Michigan
Outreach event and job fair detailed contractor opportunities for construction of Ford’s facility to build batteries for electric vehicles
(Pictured above: Representatives from hundreds of contractors, many of them based in Michigan, attended the subcontractor outreach event at the Franke Center for the Arts on May 24 in Marshall.)
Jun 5, 2023
More than 200 companies interested in being part of the team to build Ford Motor Co.’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan attended a subcontractor outreach and informational event hosted by Walbridge, the firm managing construction of the $3.5 billionfacility.
More than 90 percent of companies attending the May 24 event at the Franke Center for the Arts in downtown Marshall are based in Michigan and 34 percent of attending companies are from southwest Michigan, showcasing the incredible benefit of the project to businesses, job providers and the local trades in the Great Lakes State.
“This is a project that will benefit the Marshall area for years to come and it is already making an impact on our local economy with contractors beginning work on the site,” said Jim Durian, president and CEO of Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA). “It’s exciting to see widescale interest in the project from many Michigan-based contractors and skilled tradespeople.”
Ford Motor Co. and Walbridge presented details on the project, including safety expectations,details about doing business with Walbridge as a contractor as well as laying out information about bidding opportunities, trade needs, project labor agreements, supplier diversity, and community engagement.
Walbridge’s project-specific website, WalbridgeBlueOvalBatteryMI.com, lists project details, including opportunities to bid. The site will be updated throughout the project allowing for future opportunities with Walbridge and prime subcontractors.
Members from Walbridge’s estimating, procurement and supplier diversity teams actively met with attendees to share scopes of work, understand capabilities, and answer questions about the project, scope and schedule.
“The BlueOval Battery Park Michigan project is a major opportunity for contractors and the skilled trades,” said Chris Morgan, vice president of operations at Walbridge. “We’re grateful to all the attendees we met during Walbridge’s subcontractor outreach. We encourage anyone interested in an opportunity to check our website and submit their information there so we can review and match them up with an appropriate work package.”
