When we think of some of Ford's most exciting years, we think of Harold "Red" Poling, who served as Chairman & CEO at Ford from 1990-93.
When Ford celebrated SN-95 Mustang Job 1at the Dearborn Assembly Plant in October of 1993, we had the good fortune of meeting then Ford Chairman and CEO Harold "Red" Poling and having a brief chat with him after he passed the corporate keys to Ford Motor Company over to Alex Trotman.
Poling can easily be acknowledged for what he did for Ford Motor Company during his 42 years with the company. And because he did so much, it is challenging to cover it all here. His long journey at Ford began at the company's steel division at the Rouge. He served at just about every division imaginable during his rise to the top. We salute Poling for his great contributions to Ford's success during the 1980s when performance cars (and quality!) made a huge comeback at Ford. His leadership brought us Mustang GT and SVO, Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and Cougar XR-7 Turbo, Escort EXP, and the outstanding quality refinements that went with them.
Poling became a Ford vice president in 1980, taking over Ford's huge North American Automotive Operations (NAAO), which poised him for a rise to Ford Motor Company President in 1985, Vice Chairman in 1988, and ultimately Chairman and CEO in 1990.
What made Poling so successful was his great business savvy, knowing what to do and when to do it at times when others might be wringing their hands. This close attention to business is what saved Ford on more than one occasion. This logic not only saved Ford, it made Ford profitable.
Harold "Red" Poling was a World War II fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy. He is a graduate of Monmouth College - 1949. He got his Master's degree at Indiana University in 1951 and joined Ford shortly thereafter. As we understand it, Poling is quite the golfer. We salute Red Poling for his great accomplishments at Ford, and the path he paved toward the company's survival and success today.