[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING WILLIAM CLAY FORD ON HIS SELECTION AS A MICHIGAN GREEN LEADER

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 14, 2010

  Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of William Clay 
Ford Jr. Mr. Ford has been chosen as one of 16 people and institutions 
by the Detroit Free Press as a Michigan Green Leader. Selected from 
over 300 nominations, Mr. Ford will be recognized on April 22 as part 
of a 40th anniversary celebration of Earth Day. Green Leaders are 
people or entities who have had exceptional impact on the community 
through their leadership and contributions in their efforts to protect 
our environment.
  Born May 3, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Ford is the great-
grandson of both Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. He received a 
bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University in 1979 and a master 
of science degree in management as an Alfred P. Sloan fellow from 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. Immediately after 
graduating from Princeton, Mr. Ford went to work as a financial analyst 
for Ford Motor Company. In his first 10 years with Ford he held 11 
jobs. In 1987 he became managing director for Ford Switzerland and in 
1990 he was head of business strategy. In 1992 he was appointed general 
manager of Climate Control Division where he created the company's 
first wildlife habitat at a plant and established the first automotive 
plant to use 25 percent post-consumer materials in all of its plastic 
parts. Under his lead, the division won the President's Commission on 
Environmental Quality Award for the substitution of water for hazardous 
chemicals in a production process. He was elected vice president and 
headed the Commercial Truck Vehicle Center in 1994 and in 1995 took the 
chair of the board of directors finance committee. He was elected 
chairman of the board of directors and took office at the start of 
1999, served as Ford's chief executive officer from October of 2001 to 
September of 2006, and was subsequently named executive chairman.
  Mr. Ford is a lifelong environmentalist and throughout his time at 
Ford he has not only given to our environment through personal choices, 
but has proposed rigorous environmental policy changes for the company. 
The company published its first corporate citizenship report in 2000 
with him at the helm. The report assessed the environmental, economic, 
and social ramifications of the company's projects and products around 
the world. In 2004, while Mr. Ford was CEO, the company finished the 
world's largest brownfield reclamation project with the Ford Rouge 
Center in Detroit. As a long-time advocate of hybrid vehicle 
technologies, Mr. Ford not only owns a hybrid, but has overseen the 
launch of expansive plans to offer electric and hybrid-powered 
automobiles to consumers.
  In addition to his work with Ford Motor Company, Mr. Ford is a vice 
chairman of the Detroit Lions and has championed the environmentally 
friendly stadium in Detroit. He chairs the Detroit Economic Club board, 
co-chaired the National Summit in 2009, is the vice chair of the 
Business Leaders for Michigan, serves on the board of directors of 
eBay, and is a member of the board of trustees for The Henry Ford.
  This is the first year the Detroit Free Press has held the Green 
Leaders event. Mr. Ford is a superb choice. His great drive and 
dedication are assets to us, our community, and our environment.

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