A Strategic Response to a Major Automotive Industry Closure: Lessons from the Ford/Lear National Emergency Grant in Missouri

As a result of the economic downturn, many communities are facing the loss of a major employer and the jobs that it generates both directly and indirectly. The St. Louis region in Missouri faced just such a crisis earlier this decade with the closure of a major Ford Motor Company assembly plant. This was accompanied by layoffs at the Lear Corporation, a first tier automotive supplier. Webinar participants will learn about a National Emergency Grant project in which state and local workforce and economic development leaders brought together a comprehensive array of resources and stakeholders to fashion a highly integrated regional response.