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CORVETTE TODAY #204 - Meet The New Bowling Green Assembly Plant Director, Ray Theriault
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Jul 11, 2025
We have a new Plant Director at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant. And on this episode of CORVETTE TODAY, you get to meet him, up close and personal. Your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett, introduces you to Ray Theriault. Ray has be with General Motors for over 27 years. His employment with them has taken him around the world! On this episode of CORETTE TODAY, you'll get to know Ray on a personal and professional basis. He talks about his career with GM and the future for BGA. Your new Plant Director at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant is here on CORVETTE TODAY!
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[Music] Welcome to Corvette Today, the show that
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talks about everything Corvette with your host Steve Garrett, lifetime member of the National Corvette Museum,
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president of the Corvette Club of Kansas City, Missouri, and radio disc jockey at the number one radio station in Kansas
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City for over 45 years. Here's Steve Garrett.
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Thanks for listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette and the only
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current podcast dedicated to Corvette. I'm your host, Steve Garrett. I appreciate you tuning in. Corvette Today
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from around the world. My guest on today's show is the new plant director at the Bowling Green assembly plant. You
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know, there's so much going on at BGA right now, and you're going to meet him now up close and personal. His name is
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Ray Tero. Ray, welcome to Corvette Today. Thank you so much for having me on the show today, Steve. I really appreciate
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it. I really appreciate you taking the time because like I said, I know how busy you guys are there at the Bowling
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Green assembly plant. So, let's talk about you. Let's get to know Ray Tero a little bit better. First of all, Ray,
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Corvette Nation does welcome you to our family, but tell me about your upbringing. I know you grew up close to
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the Milford proving grounds, didn't you? I sure did. In fact, when I was 6 years old, my family and I moved to Milford,
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which for those who may not be familiar with it, it's about an hour northwest of downtown Detroit. And especially when I
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was young, it was a sleepy rural community. It had many parks and lakes, still does. And somehow hidden away
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within that community is the crown jewel of automotive test facilities, General Motors, Milford Proving Grounds. And so
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I grew up seeing all of the new models around town regularly. And in fact, my
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best friend through grade school lived at a white farmhouse that is literally right at the end of General Motors Road
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that leads into the entrance of the Milford Proving Grounds. Wow. and he and I used to spend so much time trying to peek through the fence or
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listening to the cars that were on the track or just paying attention to what was going on in that mysterious area
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called the Milford proving grounds. It was an absolute joy for a young person growing up in that area and seeing
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everything that was new first. Really General Motors kind of rubbed off on you at an early age, didn't it?
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It absolutely did. It's kind of funny because I've never actually worked at the proving grounds, but I've certainly been around it my whole life. That's awesome. Now, talk about your
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family, Ray. Talk about your siblings. Did you grow up in a car family? Well, I did a bit. So, I am the second
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oldest of four siblings. I have an older brother and two younger sisters. My parents have been married for over 55
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years now. So, they're certainly setting the example of how to have a successful marriage. My father worked in the auto
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industry his whole career. He started as an hourly worker and then retired in management actually at a competitor's
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company. I spent most of my time growing up at home with him in the garage helping maintain our own vehicles and
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working to actually keep our tractor and our car running. And I think some of that experience helped influence my
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career choices. And then my mother stayed at home and she took care of my siblings and I, but really she kept
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watch over the whole neighborhood. And she also was able to glimpse into the future a little bit because before
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computers were even a thing, she was able to find somebody who had a home computer up in an attic and she would
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take me there once a week that I could go learn what computers were all about and learn to program a little bit. And I'm certain that had some influence on
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me as I started to make professional decisions. And then later, of course, I got married to my wife Amanda. We've
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been married 29 years next month. We have three adult daughters, Jessica, Anna, and Sarah. Obviously, my wife is
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an angel as she has stuck with me through this amazing journey around the world that had with General Motors. That's fantastic. And Masletoough to
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your mom and dad for 50 years and the same to you for 29 years of marriage. That's fantastic.
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Yeah, it's absolutely a milestone for sure. We're happy. Now, when did you realize, Ray, that you were a car guy?
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Well, it would probably be back to that time spent in the garage that I mentioned earlier with my father. We were consistently repairing and doing
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the upkeep on the family car, but also my father had an old Ford 9-N tractor.
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And this tractor was older than most of the tractors that were actually on display at Henry Ford Museum. And
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between the cars and the tractor, we were constantly outside doing work. And from as young as I could remember, my
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father would show me how to take things apart in an orderly fashion, what all the tools were to do it properly, and
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then how to actually get the repair made and get the vehicle back on the road. It was very important to us because that
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tractor especially that was necessary to plow the snow as you could imagine in Michigan to actually get out of the rural neighborhood where my parents
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lived and where I grew up to get my father to work or to get the family groceries. Yeah, we have that same situation here in Kansas City. We need a truck with a
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tractor and a blade. Yes, absolutely. And and I can tell you that sometimes when people ask me, hey, how do you deal with the stress of being
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a plant manager? My answer to them is, oh, it's nothing. I used to hold the flashlight for my father as he was working on the family car. So being a
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plant manager is no big deal. That's awesome. That's awesome. So, when did you realize, Ray, that you were a
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Corvette guy? Was Corvette your favorite car growing up, or were there other cars, too? Do you know? I think the moment that I
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realized that the Corvette was special was in second grade. And when I think back to second grade, my teacher's name was Mrs. Blisnik, and she had the
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coolest car I had ever seen. And at least in my memory, Steve, it was a 1977
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Han Coupe Corvette. From that moment that I saw her roll up to the elementary school in her Corvette, I dreamed of
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having one myself someday. I stated that dream enough to my parents and those around me that when I turned 15, my mom
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and dad knew that I loved vets. So, they actually got me a 1980 vet and told me that if I wanted to drive when I was 16,
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I needed to start rebuilding the engine. So, my dad and I worked on it. You know, imagine complete shade tree mechanic
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work. We had a cable strung across a couple trees with a comealong on it to pull it apart to get the engine out. And
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then we worked on rebuilding the engine and putting it all back together by the time I was 16. And I'm happy to tell you
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that we were successful. A couple months before my 16th birthday, that car in fact ran. That's the good news. The bad
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news is that Vet was not a Corvette, but a Chevet.
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It probably knew from the factory it should have had about 60 horsepower, I think. And after our rebuild, I was probably lucky to be in the 40
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horsepower range. But it was my horsepower and it was my car. And and so that Chevet was definitely not a
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Corvette, but it continued me on the road of absolutely loving engines and horsepower and performance and being
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hands-on. Fantastic story, Ray. That's awesome. Well, let's take our first break, and when we come back, we're going to talk
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more about your educational career and how you got your job at General Motors. That's coming up next on Corvette Today.
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I'm your host Steve Garrett. With me is the new plant director at the Bowling Green assembly plant, Ray Tero. In this
11:37
second segment, we're going to talk about Ray's education and how he got his job at GM. Ray, let's talk about your
11:43
educational career. What did you study? Where'd you go to college? And what degrees do you hold? Well, Steve, I got
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my undergraduate degree from Lawrence Technological University, which is a smaller private school outside of
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Detroit. And I chose to go there because thankfully I was afforded a full academic scholarship, which was too good
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to pass up. Wow. And I'll share with you that I be chose to become an electrical engineer because of maybe all that time in the garage
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with my dad or just other experiences I had. I sort of figured that if I stared at something mechanically long enough, I
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could figure it out. But I knew I could stare at printed circuit boards and computers forever and probably not figure them out. So I chose to go the
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electrical engineering road for my undergraduate degree. Smart. And later I was able with financial
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support from General Motors to actually go to the University of Michigan where I got my master's degree in engineering
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and its concentration is automotive engineering and manufacturing as well. And so, yes, when you think about me
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being a Michigan alum, for those listeners maybe that you have that passed by Bowling Green Assembly during the National Championship game that
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Michigan recently won, it was not a coincidence that we had as close as we could get to Maze and Blue cars out
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front on display here at the factory to support the team that I'm a fan of. In fact, to that point, one subtle thing
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that we do here is that we often have a reason for the color cars that we display out front. So, if folks want to
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stop by and take a picture at those cars and maybe take a guess as to why we've chosen the colors we have, there's
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usually a reason behind them. Very cool. Now, during your college career, were you involved in SAPE? I
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asked because a lot of our guests on Corvette Today have talked about how much they enjoyed that experience during
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their college career. Do you know I was involved with SAPE through college and early in my career.
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Although I didn't participate in probably the big banner SAE events like formula SAE as a lot of my colleagues
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have, I was certainly involved with the group and attended meetings and conventions and was also supportive of those teams because I had many friends
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that were active on them. My culmination with SAPE actually happened in 2008 where I received the Young Manufacturing
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Leadership Award from the SAPE Foundation and that was a very proud moment for me in my career because that
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event I was actually recognized and was able to give a short speech and it was attended by some of the titans of the
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automotive industry like Rick Wagner and Alan Malali were both there at that moment and Alan Malali also received an
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award at the same event. So yes, I've been involved with SAE and SAE has been very good to me throughout my career. Wow, congratulations. That's a great
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story. How cool is that? It is definitely a proud moment for me. Absolutely. So, did you get your job
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with GM right out of college, Ray? I did not. During college and actually after graduation, I worked for Detroit
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Diesel Corporation when it was owned by Racing Titan Roger Kensky. Actually, I was an electrical controls engineer
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where I would design and approve the equipment that actually machined and assembled, in this case, diesel engines
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at that company. And it was a great job and I worked with a lot of wonderful people. In fact, that job really
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emphasized to me the attention that I needed to have to detail because when you're designing a piece of equipment that a team member is going to use, not
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only do you have to know the technical aspects of the product that you're manufacturing, of the machine to actually manufacture it, but to be
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successful, you have to understand the details of the team member that is actually there working the line to make
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it all happen. That job really taught me that attention to detail and to appreciate that every job is important to make fantastic products.
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Very cool. And then a few years into that career is when I transitioned to General Motors. Now, everybody always has a fun story
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about interviewing with GM. Ray, can you give us one of those stories for everybody that listens and watches
15:12
Corvette today? Do you know I actually can. The way that I came to work for General Motors was
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one day again at Detroit Diesel Corporation. And you know, I'm going to ask you to think back. This was desk phone and answering machine days, right?
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Everything had wires still. Wow. I picked up my desk phone and it was actually General Motors calling a
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manager from General Motors anyway, asking if I was interested in switching companies and working for General Motors.
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Nice. It was a bit of a cold call. And what I had later learned the backstory was that one of my colleagues, his name was Russ
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Spring, he had been looking for a different job. He had accepted a new job by the time General Motors called him.
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So when this manager talked to Russ, the manager really didn't take no for an answer. He said, "Okay, Russ, if you're not interested in General Motors, do you
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know anybody that may be?" And Russ Brink actually referred me to General Motors and had this manager call me. To
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be honest, I wish I could get in touch with Russ because I haven't been able to tell him, you know, kind of what the road I've been on, right?
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That moment that he referred me to General Motors, but it was just a few short months after that phone call that I ended up working for General Motors
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and had switched companies. Very cool story. Now, I know you've worked for General Motors for over 27
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years. Talk about some of the previous positions you've had in the company prior to coming to the Bowling Green
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assembly plant. So at GM I started as a controls engineer as I described before but I was working for General Motors
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powertrain at the time and their new and major program group. So I was responsible for specifying purchasing
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and really installing and ramping up the equipment used for powertrain component manufacturing early in my career you
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know and from that position I became an engineering supervisor and then progressed into several other
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manufacturing roles including things like maintenance plant engineering machining and assembly production and
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more. I had a headquarter role where I started to work with our vehicle plants to help focus on improving quality
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there. And then one September weekend in 2011, an important moment happened where my manager phoned me and asked if I was
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interested in going to China. My family and I decided to take the risk and go. And we spent 5 years living in Shanghai,
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China, where I was responsible for all of General Motors manufacturing quality for Asia, Africa, Australia, and at the
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time we were doing business in Russia as well. So, it was a big job that took me to lots of interesting places in the
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world to see where we manufacture and sell our vehicles. Wow, that's pretty amazing.
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It was absolutely an amazing assignment, an amazing moment for myself professionally, but also for my family
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to experience everything that we did during that time. When I repatriated from China, I went to Flint Truck where
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I was the assistant plant manager. And actually the experience there was very analogous to what has recently happened
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at Bowling Green assembly because we were building out of the K2 heavy duty pickup truck and launching the newer
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generation T1. But to do that, just like Bowling Green has done for the Mid Engine, it meant a new paint shop, a new
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body shop, and a massive tear up of general assembly. So although I wasn't here at Bowling Green for the moments that we've done that for Midenine, I I
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certainly am familiar with what it took and can appreciate what the team went through to get it all done. And then I
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moved really through a series of quick assignments that went all the way back to components plants including sagen metal castings or bay city components. I
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did a stint in Spring Hill at our plants there and then was a consultant for battery pack assembly operations for a
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very brief period of time before getting here at Bowling Green assembly which really is my dream job. This is a job
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that I dreamed about for a long time and publicly stated that it was my dream job. Very cool. Well, I was going to ask you
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if being at the Bowling Green assembly plant has been the culmination of your career at General Motors, and it
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obviously has. Absolutely. You know, if you are a car guy and you are a factory guy, and I am
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both of those, there is no place else in the world I would rather be. That sounds fantastic. Well, buddy, let's take our final break. When we come
18:48
back, we're going to talk about your transition to the Bowling Green assembly plant. Coming up next here on Corvette
18:54
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You're listening to the Corvette Today podcast with Steve Garrett. Thanks once again for watching and
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listening to Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette. Corvette Today is brought to you by
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wheel exchange. And you get a 5-year warranty, too. Visit wheelcraft.com today or give him a call 833-639-4231.
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I'm your host, Steve Garrett. With me is the new plant director at the Bowling Green assembly plant, Ray Tero. In this
21:32
third and final segment, we're going to talk about his transition over to Bowling Green. Ray, I know you got that
21:38
phone call to come to Bowling Green assembly, and that had to be exciting because I know you just said that this is your dream job. Tell me that story.
21:46
Oh, I sure will. Well, and that story has a little twist to it as well because actually before I was appointed to the
21:51
Bowling Green position, I had actually been told that I was going to go on international assignment again. And I
21:57
was getting excited about that opportunity as well. Then one day, shortly before the announcement was ever
22:02
made, my manager phoned me and told me there was a change of plans. You know, he take the deep breath and wonder, "Uhoh, what's this going to be?" And and
22:08
I remember saying, "I think you'll like it." And he told me that I'd been appointed to the Bowling Green assembly position instead. So needless to say, I
22:16
was over the moon, excited about it, and in fact, I still am. That's awesome. And once the announcement was made, you
22:22
know, obviously I got phone calls from many, many people congratulating me and also asking what options they should get
22:27
on their car at that little early for that, but one of the people that called me was a trusted mentor that I'd had for
22:34
General Motors for a long time. He had actually retired a number of years ago, and he said to me, he said, "Hey, do you
22:39
remember about 20 years ago when you said Bowling Green plant director was your dream job?" And I told him, "I sure
22:45
do. And in a couple years, I'll let you know if it should have been." But that's fantastic. But absolutely, I'm excited to be here
22:51
at my dream job building dream cars. This is a great place to be. That's fantastic. Now, as you
22:57
transitioned with Kai Spandandy into the new position there at Bowling Green, talk about the learning curve for the
23:02
assembly plant and how that all went. You know, my transition with Kai was really good. We were afforded, I think,
23:08
ample opportunity to transition well to make sure that the team here continued to be very well supported. And to be
23:14
honest, he and those that came before him, like Jeff Lamar and others, they've done such good work here that it's very
23:19
straightforward to continue on the path that they've set out for the plant and our relationship with the Corvette community. The part of the job that's
23:26
actually new for me is not the manufacturing piece because I've been around plants for a long time and I'm used to transitioning into plants and
23:32
I've done that all over the world. The part that's new is really the public facing interaction of this job with
23:37
people like you, Steve, but also with all the Corvette enthusiasts and customers to make it here to Bowling Green or have so much passion for the
23:44
car. And I have to tell you that this aspect, although it's new to me, I'm really loving it. I get a lot of energy
23:49
and joy from the people I interact with and I do my best and I really feel this is one of my key roles as plant director
23:55
is to translate that energy back into the people in the factory because everybody here everybody here has a job
24:01
that's important and a job that is necessary to build the dream cars that our customers expect. And so I want
24:08
everybody to understand that joy and understand how important it is that they exceed the customer's expectations as we
24:14
build. Well said my friend. Very well said. Now, tell me something. As you transitioned into your dream job there,
24:19
Bowling Green assembly plant, what impressed you the most? What maybe surprised you or impressed you the most
24:25
as you got into your new job? Well, the big advantage that the Corvette plant has is the excitement
24:32
that the team has for the product and actually building dreams. The pride that
24:37
that translates to in their work and the drive that they have to make every car perfect is undeniable. And it is
24:44
certainly key to the secret sauce of building a Corvette. And the part that also excites me specifically is that
24:50
that enthusiasm really spills outside of the factory too. Our plants both hourly and salary volunteers throughout the
24:56
community. Certainly at Corvette events, but also at STEM events and charitable outreaches throughout Bowling Green.
25:03
When we have a chance to do this, it makes a difference for future Corvette owners, but also the brand and the
25:09
community where we live and work. And this is very meaningful to me as a person because I've always leaned into volunteerism as well, whether it be
25:16
coaching at a YMCA or helping a charity or helping improve the parks where I live. That spirit of volunteering has
25:21
always been important to me. And here at the Corvette plant, it's on steroids. The other really impressive thing I
25:26
think about Bowling Green is the facility itself. The team that has come before me has done such a fantastic job
25:32
of designing a process that can handle the amount of customization that our customer expects. A lot of high volume
25:38
manufacturing facilities, the customization that Corvette offers would drive the facility crazy, but here we've
25:44
designed a process to handle it and handle it seamlessly. That's a real credit to the folks that put a lot of thought into the process design as the
25:50
facility was constructed. So, my hats off to them and it's also very impressive. Very nice. Now, I know as you start to
25:56
build E-rays, your previous jobs have got to be a big part of the integration. Like you're being senior manager of the
26:03
EV supplier integration and stuff like that, that has to really help as you guys start rolling out E-rays, doesn't
26:08
it? You know, it does. The time I spent in the EV space certainly helped me understand better the battery pack and
26:15
how it's engineered and constructed and integrated into the vehicle. You know, that said, I think it's important for
26:20
everyone to understand that the is really not what we consider an EV. It's really a performance hybrid that was
26:26
designed and hats off to the engineers because I really think the way that they've integrated that electric drive
26:31
into a Corvette was brilliant to really enhance the driving experience. You know, my Ray is a test vehicle. It's
26:38
amazing. I have well over 20,000 miles on it. Probably 24 25,000 miles, I would think, this morning.
26:43
Wow. And I can tell you that when I use launch mode, I better have my head on the headrest because it is wicked fast
26:50
off the line. I did try it in snow and ice because two weeks ago here in Bowling Green, we did have a couple inches of snow. And I will say that
26:57
before I put it in weather mode, it was maybe the car I wish I had when I was 16, right? Where it was pretty easy to
27:04
have fun and do some active driving. But once you put it in weather mode, the car is so sure-footed that it's a very
27:10
comfortable and competent vehicle to make its way across the icy, snowy roads through town here. So much fun. And Taj,
27:16
Josh, and the team that designed it have absolutely done an amazing job. They really have. And I'm glad you brought that up because I think a lot of people
27:23
miss the fact that this is not an EV or a hybrid. That battery is there for performance, not for distance driving
27:30
like so many EVs that are in the world today. Really, the -ray was designed with that battery for more performance
27:36
purposes rather than anything else. Yeah, absolutely. You know, we still answer a lot of questions. One of which
27:42
could be where do I plug it in and you don't, right? It really is a performance hybrid. It is not a plug-in. And the
27:47
whole purpose of that electric drive is to really enhance the driving experience and give you that instant torque,
27:52
instant acceleration off the line, which makes it the fastest Corvette ever to 60 mph, as you know. Absolutely right. Well, Ray, thank you
28:00
so much for taking the time to be on Corvette today. We welcome you into the Corvette family. I look forward to
28:05
seeing you at the bash coming up in late April. Well, I look forward to meeting you in person there as well. And I do thank you
28:10
for having me on the show today. You know, I really enjoy talking to Corvette enthusiasts and our customers and I've
28:16
been doing my best to lean into the Corvette world. You know, I mentioned before the display that's out front of my office here, and I'll tell you that
28:22
when I have a spare minute, which isn't as often as I would like, but I I do enjoy going outside and talking to the
28:28
folks that have stopped by to see the display or maybe take a picture there. In fact, just this morning, I was out talking to a gentleman who spent the
28:34
last two days driving into Bowling Green from Long Island, New York, and he was so happy to be here and see the cars on
28:40
display. So, I guess I would say as well, thank you for having me on the show and hopefully when you come to the bash, you can stop by and see what cars
28:46
we have on display at that moment. And I look forward to our next chat. Absolutely. I always do. I always take pictures of my car in front of the gate
28:53
guards there at Bowling Green Assembly. So, I'll do that again and we'll stop by and say hi. All right. Absolutely. I'm looking
28:58
forward to it. Thanks again for listening and watching Corvette Today. And be sure to tell your family, friends, and other Corvette
29:04
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Thanks for checking out Corvette today on podcast and YouTube. If you'd like to contact Steve with ideas for Corvette
29:59
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