New Job, New Location!

I've been keeping this on the down-low until now but now that everything is pretty much firmed up and finalized I thought it was time to share that I will be moving South of the border.

I've accepted a job with Ford as an Engine Calibration Engineer based out of Allen Park, Michigan.

For those of you wondering what specifically I'll be doing here's a short list of some of the tasks:

• Perform engine calibration, drivability
• Calibrate and sign-off vehicle functional objectives
• Document progress and methods used to calibrate/validate parameters within responsibility
• Conduct vehicle testing and development at remote locations in Arizona, Colorado and Northern Canada
• Design and conduct tests to validate engine and vehicle fuel economy, performance, emissions, and diagnostics
• Evaluate and asses vehicle attributes (performance, fuel economy, emission, NVH) on vehicles and in engine dynamometer cells

I will be spending a lot of time in cars and a lot of time at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, MI. One of the tracks there is a massive oval with 2.5 mile (4km) long straights before the turns.

Ford Proving Grounds Article
Map View of FPG

Additionally, I can/will be working with EVERY vehicle Ford produces from a basic Fiesta to an F750 - in all engine and tranny combinations available.

I will still frequent this board and I will be back in Canada most weekends but will be otherwise residing in Michigan in an as yet to be determined location, but likely around Royal Oak.

Time to start living real life

Good job Salomon!! Hope everything goes good for ya!

Yeah man that's wicked!!

Make sure you post up some videos if you are allowed, would be cool to see what the cars go through!

Congratulations Salomon! This is awesome news.

Congrats! Will they also be helping you get a green card?

That's awesome Salomon. Ford is really killing it these days - I especially like the ST cars. So I think you're joining a good team at a good time. You're certainly going to see lots of turbos

Shame you'll have to sell the DSM and get a Ford Probe though

Congrats Salomon and welcome to US.
Hopefully you'll have zero issues importing your DSM based on the paperwork I provided

Its always best to start GC early even if you don't need it now. Time goes fast and you may regret you didn't start at the beginning of TN. Make sure your TN is set for 3 years.

Congrats!

Big congratulations to you bud, I'm sure you won't mind driving a few high ppowered Ford's around their testing track

Good for you Salomon. You'll find cheap accommodation in Michigan, but on the other hand I know several Canadians working in Michigan's auto sector that still choose to live in Windsor.

Some Ford facilities require that non Ford vehicles park in segregated spots further away, so you may want to pick up another car. But don't get anything new, they have the worst roads and highest rate of uninsured drivers.

On a positive note, we could now get our stuff shipped to you and you could bring it across when you come back up to the GTA.

You won't have any excuses for not being at the Shootout either now

Yep, he'll only be a stone throw's away now!

Congrats on everything man you earned it

Thanks for the kind words everybody - I am very grateful and very excited for the opportunity. From what everyone has said these opportunities almost never open up and when they do they are normally filled from within so I am counting my lucky stars! Additionally, all my friends already working in the area are jealous of my job so it's nice to be able to rub a little something in their faces after they made me jealous with their CTS-Vs.



A green card would be my own responsibility/doing as far as I know. An H1B Visa would be the next step up from the TN Visa I currently have.



Yeah, they're doing pretty well and making lots of pretty nice cars (though not as many high performance cars as GM or Chrysler, sadly). Definitely lots of turbos and lots more diesels. Pretty excited to get my hands on the latest technology. The DSM ain't going nowhere though. I've got an '06 Mazda 3 I'll be driving most of the time anyways, and everything mechanical on that is stamped FoMoCo - it's good enough!



Thanks again for all your help. I will import the car in the near future, likely. I will send you a message about the GC process - I haven't looked into it much yet. My Visa is 3 years.



Most definitely not. I'm told I will have to go through some high-speed training as part of my overall training and will also likely get my CDL (commercial drivers license).



I signed for a beautiful place yesterday in Southgate, MI. 10 minutes from work and within 15 minutes of Downtown Detroit, the river and lots of happening places. Also very close to the border.

I will be working at the R&D facility and the parking lot for my specific building is tiny - there are more camo cars there then employee cars - Ford specific parking isn't an issue there.

No money for a new car - as long as I can get my Mazda 3 crapbox to last another year or two I'd rather save up and at most get a bike and drop some money on the Talon and Malibu. Got a lot of debt to pay off first!



Haha other than this year I was there the 4 prior years and that's as long as I've known about it. I definitely don't plan to miss any more, especially not if I'm living that much closer!





On a separate note, it looks like either through my friends and/or through work I'll be working with the guys at Roush so I'm sure I'll be having some extra fun. My building is on what's known as the dragstrip since it's long, straight, flat and a dead end (ie no through traffic) with mostly only Ford and Roush buildings - I'm told Roush and Ford employees often put the stretch of road to good use

That's amazing man. Congrats.

Southgate is a nice area...at least it was about 45 years ago when I lived a little south of there in Gibraltar...

Thanks! So far it's been treating me well - hopefully only to get better.



It's probably not nearly as nice as it was back then but relative to many of the other suburbs of Detroit it's pretty decent.

You've gotta get a little further away from Detroit (or cross the border) before you get anywhere truly 'nice' - i.e. Grosse Pointe, Ann Arbor, West Bloomfield, etc.

So did you meet Ken Block!? I hear he was at the test track a couple days ago.