Small town, big shifts | Uncertainty returns to Glendale as Ford repurposes battery plant

GLENDALE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some business owners in Glendale believe the changes at Ford's electric vehicle battery plant could impact their bottom line.

Officials on Monday announced plans to convert the Glendale plant into a battery-storage business for customers such as utilities, wind- and solar-power developers. Ford plans to hire 2,100 employees after the Glendale plant is converted. A company spokesperson said Monday all laid off employees will have the opportunity to apply for those new jobs.

Now local businesses in the small town are bracing for more big changes.

Glendale is accustomed to change. Its population has fluctuated with the plant in recent years, and locals say they’ve learned to roll with it.

At Mountain Mike’s, the number of customers has shifted based on construction, production, and now, another change ahead.

"At the beginning, we didn’t know how many people to expect," barista Stella Cannon said. "I remember we would run out of ice and all these different things that we needed, so I think it definitely will be weird to adjust back to not having as many people and right back two years later to a big boom again."

By late 2027 the company plans to begin shipping from the repurposed battery plant.

Mary Spak, who owns a gift shop called "Small Biz Market," said she is glad the factory will still be used, even if it's down the line.

"As long as the big, beautiful building is going to be used, then I think that that’s good as long as it's not wasted -- as long as something is being produced there."

The plant was expected to employ 5,000 workers, but had only 1,600 workers that are now being laid off. Hardin County initially anticipated a population boost of about 22,000 people due to the plant. The county has done a lot to make way for that growth, including building housing developments and other construction projects.

The original project included two side-by-side plants in Glendale. One of them -- Kentucky Two -- was indefinitely postponed in October 2023, after demand for EVs fell short of expectations. The Hardin County factories were part of a $7 billion investment Ford made in 2021, betting aggressively on EV demand.

Houston Howlett's family has been farming in the area for generations, and said the battery plant process has been like whiplash.

"It’s been so volatile from day one," Howlett said. "You don’t know what to expect. You don’t know how to plan. You don’t know how to make decisions."

He also doesn't trust that future plans announced for the space will materialize.

"How can you believe anything that’s being said at this point?" he asked. "I mean everything that’s been said has been pulled back and redone. There’s no trust left."

The state gave millions in incentives for the two plants, and Howlett wants to know what happens to that money now. We asked Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear about that, he said he's in talks with the company.

"We need to hold those people accountable for what appears to be a major failure in the investment of the taxpayer dollar," Howlett said.

WDRB has submitted an open records request to the state for the full details of the incentive package.

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