Norfolk Assembly

As early as 1915, Ford Motor Company began planning a large assembly plant in Norfolk, projecting an initial investment of $300,000 ($7.4M in 2017 dollars), estimating an annual assembly of more than 2,000 cars and identifying several suitable sites. The Mayor of Norfolk, S. Heth Tyler, drove the first Model T off the Norfolk Assembly line on April 20, 1925. At the time, the plant was the largest non-seafaring-related manufacturing enterprise in Norfolk. In 1942, Ford sold the plant to the federal government for $2 million and it became the Naval Landing Force Equipment Depot. Ford repurchased the plant in 1946 for $400,000 less than the company had sold it for in 1942. ==Closure==

As of 2004, the plant's productivity ranked 17th-best among 45 truck assembly plants, The plant was represented by United Auto Workers Local 919. was won by Corey Bauswell of Portsmouth, Virginia. The last F-150 left the assembly line just after 7 AM on Thursday, June 28, 2007.{{cite news | title = Ford Plant in Norfolk Closes | publisher = The Washington Post©, June 28, 2007 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/28/AR2007062801048.html ==Subsequent history==

In March 2011, the assembly plant was sold to Jacoby Development, Inc. for $14.2 million. The development company renamed the facility the Virginia Renaissance Center and planned to demolish all structures on the site except the 662,000-square-foot main assembly building, making way for a mixed-use industrial project. In 2011, the main assembly building was purchased by Katoen Natie for $10.5 million to be used as a distribution hub for plastic pellets (nurdles) used in the manufacturing of plastic products. As of 2014, the final parcels of Norfolk Assembly were sold for $4.1 million to The Schaubach Companies. with Katoen Natie retaining an option on the remaining 25 acres of the property. The Shaubach parcels were in turn sold to Bay Disposal, a trash collection and recycling company. ==See also==