John Savona - Vice President, North American Manufacturing
John knows that veterans’ training and discipline can be a huge asset at Ford, and he encourages them to consider the company’s opportunities around the world.
John knows that veterans’ training and discipline can be a huge asset at Ford, and he encourages them to consider the company’s opportunities around the world.
“It’s a great opportunity. There are a lot of challenges, and it’s a lot of fun manufacturing something here in America today. When you’re driving down the road with your family, it feels really good to say ‘there’s our new truck or car, and I had a hand in making that happen.”
While serving in Germany, part of John’s training involved taking off his gas mask inside a gas-filled chamber. On another occasion, while working undercover, he and his partner had to test drugs at gunpoint. From war games to Checkpoint Charlie between East and West Berlin, John is no stranger to tense situations. He passed the training exercise and arrested the drug dealer, and today, he brings his composed and results-oriented work ethic to Ford.
When John first came to Ford, he started work as a security guard. Later, when his plant was losing staff due to the stress of a difficult product launch, John saw the opportunity to step up and help the company with production. He exercised the company’s open door policy to be considered for a new role. When Ford saw how calmly he could handle the fast pace and daunting challenges of production, he was promoted two days later.
Since then, John has noticed that the leadership experience he gained in the military carries over directly to his work at Ford. He has sought out historically challenging areas of the company and set about using the skills he developed in the military to make improvements. He’s found his work to be demanding and satisfying, and he’s enjoyed being a part of Ford’s growing support group for veterans. Indeed, he feels the company embodies many of the same values that the military embraces, like camaraderie, teamwork and commitment to work and coworkers.
On October 1, 2018, John began his new role as Vice President, North American Manufacturing. In this role, Savona will be responsible for Ford’s North America manufacturing footprint – the company’s largest with more than 30 manufacturing plants.