and shuttle buses, and some were available for sale to the public. Ford was committed to sell 250,000 alternative and flexible fuel vehicles – the majority of which would be designed to operate on ethanol-gasoline blends such as E85 – in 2006. Speaking at conference in November 2000 in London, Ford suggested that the company might one day offer a service where it owns vehicles and makes them available to people when they need access to them. Market competition, health care, and raw material costs led Ford to announce a second restructuring for its North American operations in four years. Ford's restructuring plan, dubbed "The Way Forward", reversed a $1.6 billion loss during 2009 in its North American operations. The company returned to profitability in 2010. Fontinalis Partners Ford has been a vocal advocate for improvements to be made in all modes of global transportation, having stated that governments and private industry would need to rethink transportation infrastructure and technology as the global population expands and the existing infrastructure is unable to keep pace. In January 2010, he announced the launch of a strategic investment firm, Fontinalis Partners, with the purpose of investing in innovative companies developing next-generation mobility solutions. Ford co-founded the firm with Ralph Booth (Chairman and CEO of Booth American Company and a media and telecom investor), Mark Schulz (former head of Ford Motor Company's international operations), Chris Cheever, and Chris Thomas. Personal life Ford is married to Lisa Vanderzee Ford, and they have four children. He is first cousin to Alfred Ford. Ford has been a vegetarian since 1990, and adopted a vegan diet in 2010. See also Ford family tree References External links Fontinalis Partners Biography William Ford Jr.'s campaign contributions Bill Ford's The Way Forward speech – 23 Jan 2006 The Fords go into Reverse – by John Lippert and Bill Koenig A lengthy Bloomberg'' article (2007) profiling Bill Ford and the 81-member family. |- 1957 births Living people American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives in the automobile industry American chief operating officers American male taekwondo practitioners American philanthropists Arena Football League executives Automotive businesspeople Businesspeople from Detroit Firestone family Ford executives Ford people Henry Ford family Hotchkiss School alumni MIT Sloan Fellows MIT Sloan School of Management alumni People in the automobile industry Princeton University alumni Detroit Lions executives