Editorial: Ford's dividend gives hope for the future

Ford Motor Co.?s announcement that it would pay a dividend early next year for the first time in five years is another bit of good news for the local economy. The dividend is relatively modest, but since a fair-sized slice of Ford?s shareholders live in the Detroit area, the nickels will add up.

But it?s also good news for another reason. It means one of the region?s signature companies ? one with a history that?s deeply interwoven southeast Michigan?s history over the last century ? believes it is back on the right path and one that it can stay on in the future.

Ford?s announcement put a great deal of emphasis on the fact the dividend is sustainable in the future despite the challenges the company faces from uncertain economic weather these days. Consequently, it carries with it a lot of optimism and hope for the future.

The payment of the dividend is a significant step in the company?s remarkable comeback. When Ford?s board of directors cut the dividend five years ago, many pundits were saying and writing that the company was doomed to fail, and the Ford family ought to get the best deal it could for the assets.

But the Ford family and Ford?s management persevered and have gone on to write one of the great comeback stories in the annals of American business. They also managed to mount the comeback in the face of the worst recession in 80 years and the disarray in the financial sector. At the same time, they managed to help keep afloat a very fragile supply base and expand in key overseas markets such as China, where its business is growing quite nicely.

They also managed to rebuild the reputation of the company?s vehicles with skeptical consumers and, along with it, the good name of the American automobile industry. As a symbol of resilience and hope, Ford Motor Co. has become hard to beat.

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Source: http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2011/12/22/opinion/doc4ef388780f785367557389.txt

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