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ANDYH changed their profile photo
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A good real estate deal, but nothing more.
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Among the coolest things I ever did...........
Vladislav replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
Tom, the very same to you. Great day, great company. - Today
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Yes, 66dc75 it was nice to meet you and chat for a while!
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...Maybe when he was talking to the redhead?..
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Yup good to talk to you too
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Ford plots future in a relic of Detroit's past Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 17, 2018 DETROIT — Bill Ford was a child the first time he stepped through a bronze door into the marble-floored concourse of Michigan Central Station. The Fords were catching a train to California, and Bill was awestruck by the sea of travelers passing under the cavernous lobby's high arches and ornate chandeliers. "I remember walking in, just taking a look and going, "Wow," he said. Decades later, as the towering depot sat derelict and crumbling, it evoked a much different emotion. "I've seen Detroit at its best and at its worst," Ford, 61, said, "and one thing I hated was when the national media was writing about the decay of Detroit, the poster child for that was always the train station. That always really bothered me, because I remembered as a young boy when it was amazing. They kept using that as a metaphor for what happened in Detroit." Now, he's making Michigan Central a metaphor for what his company, and the city where his great-grandfather started it, could become. The automaker last week confirmed its purchase of the 1913 depot, which has marred Detroit's skyline since even before the first Ford Explorer arrived almost 30 years ago. Ford Motor plans to use the 18-story building to anchor a one-of-a-kind research and engineering campus in Detroit, where it envisions having thousands of workers developing autonomous and electric vehicles. It's paying for the project using money earmarked to overhaul its offices, and with the help of substantial tax incentives. Renovating the depot is estimated to take about four years. Ford plans to put around 2,500 employees into the depot and surrounding properties — it's amassing space for up to 5,000 people — and envisions using autonomous shuttles to ferry workers between the campus in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood and nearby cities such as Dearborn, the home of Ford's headquarters. "We're in a war for talent," Bill Ford said in an interview with Automotive News and affiliate Crain's Detroit Business. "And there will be no place in the country that anybody will be able to work that's a place like that. It's a very important branding thing for Ford. It's also important in terms of our intent. We wouldn't have done it if the cost didn't make sense." Community destination Ford Motor hopes the train station will be more attractive to in-demand talent than the cookie-cutter campuses of Silicon Valley or isolated suburban office parks. The company intends to rehabilitate the decrepit concourse into a community gathering spot that's open to the public — akin to San Francisco's Ferry Building, complete with restaurants and retail. Ford workers could be joined by supplier partners or software startups in the office space. And the company said it's considering residential space, potentially putting condos on the top floors. "I want this to be, and believe it will be, a really fun destination for people — both Detroiters and people coming in from outside of Detroit," Ford said. "It would be great if this was one of their first stops. It would be a great place to meet friends and family and then go from there." In addition to the train station, Ford bought a nearby low-rise building and plans to acquire other properties to create a campus totaling roughly 1.2 million square feet. Of that, Ford said three-quarters will be split equally among Ford and its partners, with the rest a mix of retail and residential space. Crain's Detroit Business has reported Ford is working to buy nearly 50 total properties in Corktown, many of which are empty lots and abandoned buildings. Bill Ford declined to divulge a price for the train station or how much it will cost to repair. (Its previous owner spent $8 million to replace its 1,100 broken windows and put in a freight elevator.) He said the project is being absorbed by an undisclosed amount of money the automaker set aside in 2016 to transform its Dearborn campus. Ford said the Dearborn renovation, which outside experts have estimated to cost $1.2 billion, will continue and the company's headquarters will remain in Dearborn, seven miles west. "We're spending no extra money than we already had in our forward budget," he said. Business case Some, including Ford shareholders, have questioned the business case for such a costly project while CEO Jim Hackett orders billions of dollars in cuts to improve the company's "operational fitness." Bill Ford said he thinks the effort will be well worth it. "We are again reinventing the future of transportation, just as we did 115 years ago," he said at his office in the automaker's 1950s-era headquarters known as the Glass House. "And that, to me, is going to be the power of this building. It won't just be a stand-alone, very beautiful building. It will very much be part of the fabric of the new transportation model. And our future at Ford will be largely invented there." 'What if?' Bill Ford first thought of buying the train station in 2017 as he was driving scouting out the Factory — a newly renovated brick building near the depot that now houses about 200 workers on Ford's electrified and autonomous vehicle teams. "I'd always had this vision that we would build the future of Ford Motor Co., particularly as it pertained to autonomy, in a city setting — because that's where these vehicles will be deployed and that's where we need to really try them out," he said. "And so, I would drive by the train station and I started asking myself: 'What if? Is this fantasy?' " It wasn't. Negotiations between Ford's real-estate arm and the depot's owner began in October and went smoothly, he said. The train station marks Bill Ford's third high-profile real-estate project in the region, following extensive renovations of Ford's historic Rouge complex and construction of Ford Field, a football stadium that brought the Detroit Lions back downtown after 27 years in suburban Pontiac. "This dwarfs them all, in my opinion, because of what it means for the future," Bill Ford said. "The future of mobility should be created in Detroit — and I believe it will be." .
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Chicago R models
storkmack replied to Lmackattack's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Their stuff is much nicer than ours. We aren’t even on their level. -
66dc75 it was good to meet you and chat for a while!
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Maybe Vlad looks so happy because his relief valve opened up.........
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SCOOTER 68 changed their profile photo
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Yeesh, I should have ducked out of the background, Jim looks happy, Vlad looks happy, Brocky looks happy, I look like I just smelled a fart.
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I met lots of dignitaries at Macungie this past weekend !
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Site will not allow me to free up attachment space by deleting a few.
h67st replied to ranchhopper's topic in Odds and Ends
For those who need software to resize your photos, I like Irfanview. It's free to download and easy to use. When you open a photo, you can click 'ctrl + r' and then select a new size (I use 1920 x 1440 pixels, makes about a 600kb file size). Then hit 'ctrl + s' to save and select a new name for the file or just hit enter to replace the old photo with the new size. -
Bonnie AlwaysRight Jones changed their profile photo
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Among the coolest things I ever did...........
other dog replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
It was a pleasure to meet you Vlad Zina and Tommy -
Among the coolest things I ever did...........
other dog replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
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Thank you Red Horse. It was great to meet and talk with you. I did catch up with Danny. Maybe someday after I get my kids through college and pay for weddings I’ll be able to have a truck of my own... DavCut
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How about this one- Vlad with a beautiful redhead.
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I like this one- we had a celebrity in our midst!
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Here's one, but Farmer52 photochopped himself right in front of Jim Hancock for some reason.
- Yesterday
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Among the coolest things I ever did...........
1958 F.W.D. replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
The Jumpers, Otherdog and 39BabyMack and family in the background. The Otherdog holding court JT got out his gee-tar Vlad representing the Moscow, Russia Division of BMT.com -
Jerry Case changed their profile photo
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Among the coolest things I ever did...........
Vladislav replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
Wow! Haven't heard the story. Once again, learn somdthing new. Being at Macungie show and knowing not about the smoker origin I greatly enjoyed the result of the high-class coocking job. Thanks again Randy and Tom. -
Among the coolest things I ever did...........
Timmyb replied to 1958 F.W.D.'s topic in Odds and Ends
Now that’s a feel good story! I’m glad you shared it with us all. I just had an operation on my throat and haven’t eaten much in the last 2 weeks and seeing all that meat got me a little excited! -
Chicago R models
mackey58 replied to Lmackattack's topic in Antique and Classic Mack Trucks General Discussion
Awww hell that's nice been there and met him nice equipment like Mr stark -
Cab is finally back on the frame.
Timmyb replied to Coenut's topic in Exterior, Cab, Accessories and Detailing
Awesome work! Should be a beautiful truck when it’s done. Keep at it. -
Sounds like a great show. I sure hated to miss it.
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Cab is finally back on the frame.
Vladislav replied to Coenut's topic in Exterior, Cab, Accessories and Detailing
Candy!
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Tom, the very same to you. Great day, great company.
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Ford plots future in a relic of Detroit's past Michael Martinez, Automotive News / June 17, 2018 DETROIT — Bill Ford was a child the first time he stepped through a bronze door into the marble-floored concourse of Michigan Central Station. The Fords were catching a train to California, and Bill was awestruck by the sea of travelers passing under the cavernous lobby's high arches and ornate chandeliers. "I remember walking in, just taking a look and going, "Wow," he said. Decades later, as the towering depot sat derelict and crumbling, it evoked a much different emotion. "I've seen Detroit at its best and at its worst," Ford, 61, said, "and one thing I hated was when the national media was writing about the decay of Detroit, the poster child for that was always the train station. That always really bothered me, because I remembered as a young boy when it was amazing. They kept using that as a metaphor for what happened in Detroit." Now, he's making Michigan Central a metaphor for what his company, and the city where his great-grandfather started it, could become. The automaker last week confirmed its purchase of the 1913 depot, which has marred Detroit's skyline since even before the first Ford Explorer arrived almost 30 years ago. Ford Motor plans to use the 18-story building to anchor a one-of-a-kind research and engineering campus in Detroit, where it envisions having thousands of workers developing autonomous and electric vehicles. It's paying for the project using money earmarked to overhaul its offices, and with the help of substantial tax incentives. Renovating the depot is estimated to take about four years. Ford plans to put around 2,500 employees into the depot and surrounding properties — it's amassing space for up to 5,000 people — and envisions using autonomous shuttles to ferry workers between the campus in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood and nearby cities such as Dearborn, the home of Ford's headquarters. "We're in a war for talent," Bill Ford said in an interview with Automotive News and affiliate Crain's Detroit Business. "And there will be no place in the country that anybody will be able to work that's a place like that. It's a very important branding thing for Ford. It's also important in terms of our intent. We wouldn't have done it if the cost didn't make sense." Community destination Ford Motor hopes the train station will be more attractive to in-demand talent than the cookie-cutter campuses of Silicon Valley or isolated suburban office parks. The company intends to rehabilitate the decrepit concourse into a community gathering spot that's open to the public — akin to San Francisco's Ferry Building, complete with restaurants and retail. Ford workers could be joined by supplier partners or software startups in the office space. And the company said it's considering residential space, potentially putting condos on the top floors. "I want this to be, and believe it will be, a really fun destination for people — both Detroiters and people coming in from outside of Detroit," Ford said. "It would be great if this was one of their first stops. It would be a great place to meet friends and family and then go from there." In addition to the train station, Ford bought a nearby low-rise building and plans to acquire other properties to create a campus totaling roughly 1.2 million square feet. Of that, Ford said three-quarters will be split equally among Ford and its partners, with the rest a mix of retail and residential space. Crain's Detroit Business has reported Ford is working to buy nearly 50 total properties in Corktown, many of which are empty lots and abandoned buildings. Bill Ford declined to divulge a price for the train station or how much it will cost to repair. (Its previous owner spent $8 million to replace its 1,100 broken windows and put in a freight elevator.) He said the project is being absorbed by an undisclosed amount of money the automaker set aside in 2016 to transform its Dearborn campus. Ford said the Dearborn renovation, which outside experts have estimated to cost $1.2 billion, will continue and the company's headquarters will remain in Dearborn, seven miles west. "We're spending no extra money than we already had in our forward budget," he said. Business case Some, including Ford shareholders, have questioned the business case for such a costly project while CEO Jim Hackett orders billions of dollars in cuts to improve the company's "operational fitness." Bill Ford said he thinks the effort will be well worth it. "We are again reinventing the future of transportation, just as we did 115 years ago," he said at his office in the automaker's 1950s-era headquarters known as the Glass House. "And that, to me, is going to be the power of this building. It won't just be a stand-alone, very beautiful building. It will very much be part of the fabric of the new transportation model. And our future at Ford will be largely invented there." 'What if?' Bill Ford first thought of buying the train station in 2017 as he was driving scouting out the Factory — a newly renovated brick building near the depot that now houses about 200 workers on Ford's electrified and autonomous vehicle teams. "I'd always had this vision that we would build the future of Ford Motor Co., particularly as it pertained to autonomy, in a city setting — because that's where these vehicles will be deployed and that's where we need to really try them out," he said. "And so, I would drive by the train station and I started asking myself: 'What if? Is this fantasy?' " It wasn't. Negotiations between Ford's real-estate arm and the depot's owner began in October and went smoothly, he said. The train station marks Bill Ford's third high-profile real-estate project in the region, following extensive renovations of Ford's historic Rouge complex and construction of Ford Field, a football stadium that brought the Detroit Lions back downtown after 27 years in suburban Pontiac. "This dwarfs them all, in my opinion, because of what it means for the future," Bill Ford said. "The future of mobility should be created in Detroit — and I believe it will be." . -
Their stuff is much nicer than ours. We aren’t even on their level.
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By 1958 F.W.D. · Posted
Maybe Vlad looks so happy because his relief valve opened up......... -
Yeesh, I should have ducked out of the background, Jim looks happy, Vlad looks happy, Brocky looks happy, I look like I just smelled a fart.
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