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.

A native of Egg Harbour, New Jersey, Reid will oversee all aspects of production at OTP. The 270,000 m2 (3,000,000 ft2) facility in Oakville, Ont. produced 114,676 Ford F-150, F-250 and SVT F-150 Lightning pickups in 1999, a 2.3 percent increase compared to 1998. OTP is one of seven assembly plants to produce the full-size F-Series.

F-Series has been Canada's best-selling truck for 34 years, best-selling nameplate for six years and, in 1999, became the top-selling vehicle in the United States for the 18th consecutive year. In addition, the F-150 was recently selected as a top environmental choice by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in its annual listing of the most environmentally friendly vehicles.

The 4.2-litre, two-wheel-drive version of the F-150 was the only full-size truck to make the ACEEE's "Greener Choices" list. All Ford F-Series pickups, as well as Ford sport utility vehicles and Windstar minivan, meet Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards. These vehicles emit anywhere from 40 to 50 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than similar vehicles that do not meet LEV standards.