Ford Motor Company has changed significantly in the last couple of years – due to both internal and external factors – and Ford Land, the company’s real estate subsidiary, is keeping itself aligned with the transition. During a recent presentation to the Ford Retired Engineering Executives at Dearborn Country Club, Ford Land Chairman and CEO Jim Dobleske shared how the organization is putting itself in a position to support change at Ford.  

As Ford Motor Company accelerates the Ford+ plan, including the creation of the Model e, Ford Blue and Ford Pro business units, Ford Land is transitioning to act as a support system for the company, Dobleske said. “Ford continues to change, and we need to be able to change with that,” he said. “Our job at Ford Land is 100 percent to support and enable Ford Motor Company’s vision.”

Dobleske also shared an update on various ongoing Ford Land projects around the world, including the recent completion of GTBC Mexico, the opening of the Ford Experience Center renovation on the Dearborn campus, progress on the central campus building of the former site of the PDC, Blue Oval City in Tennessee, and other transformational projects around the world. In addition to enabling purpose-driven work and offering new amenities, these new and updated spaces will allow Ford to create experiences that will set the company apart, Dobleske said.

Dobleske shared his background with the group. He returned to Ford last year after serving as global president of project management at CBRE. Prior to that, he spent 17 years at JLL in several positions, including global head of enterprise sales for the company’s corporate solutions business. Dobleske also worked at Ford Motor Company for 11 years in several roles, including project management and strategic planning.

“I was super excited to come back,” Dobleske said. “What I remembered about Ford is so different than what Ford is today. The Ford of the past that I had in my mind was stagnant. That’s why I wanted to experience new things. The Ford Motor Company of today is just so dynamic, and it’s changing all the time, and there’s incredible individuals who want to see that change.”

F.R.E.E. member and former Ford Land CEO Donna Inch introduced Dobleske to the group. Inch, who held the same position from 2010 until she retired in 2016, called the company’s direction “the right evolution.” The group will hear from F-150 Lightning Chief Engineer Linda Zhang at its next meeting, on Nov. 9.