OAKVILLE, Ont., May 1, 2000 - Patricia Reid is the new manager of Ford's Ontario Truck Plant (OTP), succeeding Jim Grow who has been appointed Plant Manager, Wayne (Michigan) Stamping & Assembly Plant. Reid, her husband and three sons, have moved to Oakville from the company's Kansas City (Missouri) Assembly Plant.

"I am acutely aware of the importance of Ontario Truck Plant as a leading manufacturer of Canada's best-selling vehicle, the Ford F-Series pickup. In fact, most new F-150 and F-250 pickups sold in Canada are made at OTP," she said.

Reid explained the initial challenge included today's celebration event for the limited edition 2000 Harley-Davidson F-150 pickup. "OTP is the exclusive, worldwide manufacturer of the Harley-Davidson F-150 and that has created a lot of excitement and anticipation in the marketplace, and among the plant's 1,384 employees," she added.

Reid, 44, holds a Bachelor of Science (Ceramic Engineering) from Ohio State University. She was hired by Ford's Glass Division (now Visteon Automotive Systems) as part of the Ford College Graduate program in 1979.

Her final Glass Division assignment was as quality control manager, Nashville Glass Plant in 1994. That year a new career direction saw Reid transfer to Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant as area manager trainee in 1994. In May 1998, Reid was appointed to her most recent position of commercial manufacturing manager at Kansas City Assembly Plant.