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Faces of Ford
Kerry Baldori: SVT Chief Engineer Motivated by Challenges of Developing Performance Vehicles
Kerry Baldori likely has the love of cars and trucks built into his DNA. Maybe that’s why the SVT global performance vehicle chief functional engineer still has nearly every Tonka truck and Matchbox car he ever owned – at least four cases full.
Baldori’s love for cars goes all the way back to when he was 3 years old, growing up on a farm in Frankenmuth, Mich. He even had a car before he turned 16 – a 1968 Nova. His next car was a 1969 Camaro that he pulled from a junkyard and built himself and used for racing. And if a friend ever needed help working on a car, Baldori was the one they called.
“I love having the ability to work on cars,” said Baldori. “It was my childhood dream to work for an auto company. Every day is a new challenge, and here I get to define, design and develop performance vehicles.”
Baldori is no stranger to SVT programs – he worked on the first one, the 1993 Cobra, as well as the 1994 Cobra, 1999 Lightning, SVT Contour and 2000 Cobra R. Other roles throughout the course of his 21-year Ford career include a two-year assignment at the Newman/Haas Indy-car team, a two-and-a-half-year assignment at Volvo in Sweden, and vehicle engineering manager for the all-new 2006 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr.
Even though Baldori felt lucky to be a part of those programs, the 2011 Shelby GT500® has been a highlight for him, too.
“This is the bull’s-eye for me. We worked to make it a balanced sports car that not only goes fast in a straight line but also on a road course,” he said. “It’s the ultimate package for enthusiasts.”
A technical aspect Baldori loves to take on is vehicle dynamics – a key part of the 2011 Mustang.
“Vehicle dynamics comes down to how the driver feels the car should react. It’s great to have that capacity to say I know how to change this, to do that,” he explained. “I enjoy the challenge of also having to understand how the different pieces of the car work and how they react – it intrigues me.”
Away from work, Baldori spends time with his wife and two daughters, coaches his daughter’s soccer team, works on his house and watches just about any kind of racing on TV.
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
• Kerry graduated from Wayne State University with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in mechanical engineering
• He lives in Northville, Mich., with his wife Kim, and two daughters, Linnea and Gabrielle, ages 7 and 4, respectively
• He used to put 3,000 to 4,000 miles on a snowmobile each weekend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
• Kerry has traveled the world extensively, first as a child with his parents and then in his role with Ford
• A family man, Kerry loves conquering new worlds with his daughters while playing Mario on the Wii; he even dressed up as a dinosaur for his daughter’s fourth birthday party
Jamal Hameedi: Building Fast Cars with High Performance – The Perfect Job
Jamal Hameedi is fairly sure that if his elementary school playmates knew what he was doing for a living these days, they’d all laugh. After all, it’s no secret the SVT chief nameplate engineer has loved sports cars ever since he was a child.
Responsible for all programs under the SVT nameplate – including the 2010 Raptor and the new 2011 Shelby GT500® – Hameedi has an extremely diverse role. He must ensure every new SVT vehicle meets its engineering, manufacturing, business and timing objectives. It’s enough to keep the 19-year Ford veteran frenetically busy – and supremely satisfied with his job.
“I get to play with fast cars and trucks for a living,” says Hameedi. “My job blends the technical side with the aesthetic and creative side. I work with the designers in the studio, and I also work with the engineers. We’re creating a car that’s not only beautiful, but one that has to perform as well. That process – seeing something go from an idea, to something an assembly plant makes day in and day out – is extremely rewarding.”
Hameedi has worked on a wide variety of programs throughout his years at SVT and has found that each offers its own challenges – particularly the all-new Ford GT, which was unveiled in 2002.
“That was the biggest, most technological, all-encompassing program we did,” he says. “Instead of taking an already existing platform, we had complete control of it within SVT.”
Most recently, his team took on the upgrade of the 2011 Shelby GT500. “The 2011 GT500 program is really all about the handling, the driving dynamics and the new aluminum engine,”
he says. “It’s an exciting time for us, because SVT is really fulfilling its role as a technology leader within Ford.”
Praise for the Motor City
Hameedi grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. But Detroit, he says, is really the place for true car lovers.
“What’s really cool about Detroit is that there are so many car enthusiasts in this city,” he says. “There’s a huge car culture you can’t find anywhere else, and I’m very involved in that.”
Of course, he hasn’t given up on racing – he still follows the Ferrari Formula One team and enjoys watching rally and off-road racing as well. While he also enjoys tennis in his spare time, Hameedi admits his job is never too far from his mind. His primary goal is simple: “To make the greatest performance vehicles available on the market, regardless of price.”
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
• Hameedi sold cars in college. He says he excelled at extolling the virtues of the vehicle – he just wasn’t that great at getting customers to sign on the dotted line
• Hameedi spent eight years working with a Ford-sponsored SCORE trophy truck team – helping to develop the powertrain that won three Baja 1000 titles and regularly providing race support in Baja California, Mexico
• He currently resides in Royal Oak, Mich.
Glenn Jorgensen: Take it Apart, Put it Together – Curiosity Drives this Engineer
Ask Glenn Jorgensen about his mother’s typewriter. Jorgensen, always an inquisitive type, remembers that piece of equipment as one of the first he took apart. Although his mom may not have been happy, that curiosity – along with a love for cars and all things mechanical – eventually led Jorgensen to a position as powertrain leader for Ford’s SVT.
The Salt Lake City native attended Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to get his MBA from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.
After working for a turbine engine manufacturer, Jorgensen joined Ford’s engine division in 1992. His past positions have included a stint on the original Taurus SHO, serving as powertrain team leader on Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis, working on the 2006 Explorer powertrain, and helping develop the advanced pre-program architecture for future vehicles.
Jorgensen’s current role has him leading the design, development and delivery of SVT powertrains, including the new aluminum-block V-8 in the 2011 GT500. His responsibilities range from the engine to the transmission to the powertrain controls.
“I love putting great performance vehicles into our customers’ hands,” said Jorgensen. “Seeing the cars we work on out on the street, with people enjoying them, talking about them and getting excited is the reward.”
And in his opinion, there’s no better car than the 2011 Shelby GT500.
“The Shelby GT500 is my favorite vehicle we’ve done,” Jorgensen explained. “This is the best driving experience to date for the GT500, bar none. It’s just that next step – the new engine and the handling is just great.”
As for Jorgensen, he has no problem explaining why he loves his job. “That’s easy,” he says. “Working on great performance vehicles.”
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
• Glenn lives in Novi, Mich., and has four children, Brian, Jeff, Jenna and Alyssa that keep him busy away from work
• His first car had a fuzzy checkerboard headliner
• Glenn is versed in speaking Japanese
Eric Zinkosky: SVT Technical Specialist’s Love for Race Cars Drives His Passion for His Job
Maybe it’s the fact that he once aspired to replace race car legend Richard Petty. Or maybe it’s just that he’s the type of guy willing to talk a friend through a race car tuneup while fishing in knee-deep water – and stay on the phone long enough to know that friend went on to lap the field.
Whatever the reason, Eric Zinkosky is a perfect fit for his job at Ford SVT.
The technical specialist for vehicle dynamics and suspension design has been involved with racing since the age of 12, when he began racing go-karts. When he turned 18 – the legal age in Michigan to race a stock car – he was driving one three days later at a Midwest racetrack.
He also spent five years touring the Midwest, working on cars and living out of a motor home in an attempt to be a professional race car driver. After realizing race car engineering was a more profitable path, Zinkosky attended Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich., and earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in automotive engineering.
After graduating, Zinkosky worked at Lear Siegler, General Motors and Roush before coming to Ford in 1994. His job here keeps him involved with the car in the most ways imaginable – right down to the smallest details.
“Vehicle dynamics owns everything the customers experience – from the way the seats feel when they sit down, to how the car rides and steers, to how stiff the clutch pedal feels,” he says.
Taking it up a notch
Zinkosky and his team have very high aspirations for the 2011 Shelby GT500®, and those goals keep the motivation for this newest Shelby in high gear.
“I want to create very special vehicles for the knowledgeable driving enthusiasts,” he explained. “I love the challenge of making world-class sports cars out of platforms that have broader appeal. That’s what keeps me coming into work every day. We want everyone to know you can take this car anywhere, and it will compare favorably with the best in the world.”
For 2011, an all-new aluminum-block engine is just one of those steps that propels the GT500 to new heights, Zinkosky believes.
“That shows this company’s commitment to performance vehicles,” he says. “Ford believes performance vehicles are a core business. They’re willing to step up and do an all-new engine, just for the Shelby. That’s kind of cool.”
Even away from work, Zinkosky can’t keep his hands off cars. He just completed building a street-legal vehicle from scratch, a process that had him sketching, designing and fabricating for nearly two-and-a-half years. Next on his list is a two-seat, mid-engine sports car.
Personal Insights and Fun Facts
• Eric lives in Chelsea, Mich., with his wife, Melisa, and has a grown daughter, Elizabeth, who lives in New York City
• Eric is a World War II history buff, with a particular interest in the airplanes of that era
• Eric and Melissa live in a restored 1876 Victorian house
• He would love to have a 2011 Shelby GT500 in his driveway