By SEMA News Editors
Ford to Relocate World Headquarters for First Time in 70 Years
Ford has announced plans to relocate its Dearborn, Michigan, world headquarters to a new facility, also in Dearborn. The new 2.1 million-square-foot building will be officially dedicated as the Ford World Headquarters when it hosts its grand opening in November, though scheduled completion isn't until 2027.
The new headquarters is designed to consolidate design, engineering and corporate leadership teams in one location to enhance collaboration and accelerate innovation.
The building has been designed to meet WELL building standards and is expected to operate as a net-zero energy facility. Sustainability measures include participation in DTE Energy's MI Green Power program, which supplies hot water and steam from a Central Energy Plant, and targeted energy use that is approximately 50% less than that of the previous product development center.
The new headquarters stands on the site of Ford's original Product Development Center, which opened in 1953. The company's longtime headquarters, known as the Glass House, will be vacated by mid-2026, then sustainably decommissioned and demolished over an estimated 18-month period. Ford is working with the City of Dearborn and community leaders to determine future use of the site.
For more information, visit www.ford.com.
I-CAR Appoints John Eck as Vice President of Business Development
I-CAR® (the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) has announced the appointment of John Eck as vice president of business development, effective September 15, 2025.
Eck will oversee business development strategy across the six industry segments I-CAR serves—collision repairers, insurance, vehicle OEMs, suppliers, service providers, and schools—while supporting collaboration and long-term growth within the collision repair sector.
He brings extensive experience from General Motors, where he most recently served as head of product for Collision Assistance and consulted across the organization on collision CRM transformation. Eck has also served two terms on the I-CAR Board of Directors, as president and chairman of the OEM Collision Roundtable, and currently serves on the Collision Repair Education Foundation's Board of Trustees.
Among his accomplishments are leading the creation of the GM Collision Repair Network, developing digital solutions to improve the post-collision customer journey, and fostering partnerships across the repair, insurance, and OEM segments to advance industry-wide progress. Eck will report directly to I-CAR CEO and president Kyle Thompson.
For more information, visit www.i-car.com.
