Bryce Currie, vice president, Ford Motor Co., Americas manufacturing and labor relations, speaks to the 2023 Family Open House at Flat Rock Assembly Plant on Saturday, Aug. 19.
The parking lots outside Flat Rock Assembly Plant were rocking Saturday afternoon as nearly 3,000 plant employees, their families and Ford executives rallied together to celebrate their collective roles in assembling one of the auto industry’s most cherished nameplates – the Ford Mustang.
With the first all-new 2024 models shipping to customers just days earlier, the crowd had plenty to toast, and the sea of smiling faces was a testament to that fact. The afternoon kicked off with words from FRAP, UAW Local 3000 and Ford spokespeople, including Bryce Currie, vice president, Ford, Americas manufacturing and labor relations; Daryl Sykes, Ford director of manufacturing; Sandy Ilievski, FRAP plant manager; Ken Tomalak, UAW chair, and Laurie Transou, Mustang chief engineer.
“I think it’s safe to say that we assemble a pretty iconic vehicle, am I right?” said Ilievski, prompting a chorus of cheers. “I am so proud to be part of this team of more than 1,800 employees who have had a hand in this launch. Your focus on quality, your dedication to our community at this plant, and your passion for not letting down our customers has gotten us to this point.”
Outdoor festivities included family-friendly fun such as cornhole, a dunk tank, parking lot tic-tac-toe, Ford+ “Bingo” and live music, as well as a sprawling classic car show that put every generation of Mustang and much more on display. Family members could also tour the inside of the plant and get an up-close look at the work their loved ones do to help create the new seventh-generation Mustang.
“This is a great event, it’s really exciting,” said FRAP employee Janell Hardenburg, breaking from a game of cornhole with her husband, Rick Hindbaugh. “I have a lot of pride in my job, and today we get to tour the plant and I can show him what I do.”
That sentiment was shared across the crowd of partygoers, some young enough to be getting their first taste of Mustang enthusiasm, others who’ve been building pony cars for decades. Body shop employee Thurlow Brock brought his daughter Kennedy, who marveled at the plant’s incredible expanse during a walking tour.
“It’s awesome, I get to explain how the cars are built and actually show her,” Bruck said. “I’ve told her about it before but there’s nothing seeing it.”
With vendors serving up countless hamburgers and hotdogs and live music from the local rock band Armed and Dangerous – featuring FRAP employee Jamie Baldwin – filling the air, the plant provided the perfect backdrop. The Family Open House was a rare opportunity for FRAP employees who work shoulder to shoulder every day to instead spend time sharing laughs, meeting loved ones and shaking hands with the management team.
“I love working at FRAP, but it is an absolute honor to be able to represent and serve the most amazing membership anywhere,” Tomalak said. “This is proof of what we, the UAW and Ford, can do when we work together and strive for the same goal.
