A baseball diamond on Belle Isle has a new look this week, courtesy of volunteers from two of Metro Detroit's most storied companies. Ford Motor Co. and Carhartt Inc. teamed up to renovate the field, adding a distinctive touch: dugout benches built from F-150 tailgates.
The renovation, reported by The Detroit News, brought together employees from both companies to overhaul the field on the state-run island park. Ford and Carhartt are both described in that report as Dearborn corporate icons, and the companies say they now plan similar renovations at the baseball diamond inside Ford Field Park in Dearborn, according to the same account.
Ford Field Park itself is no small patch of grass. The public park sits at 22051 Cherry Hill Street and includes recreational facilities and sports courts, according to Recplanet.
A Timely Cleanup on Storm-Battered Belle Isle
The volunteer effort also brought a practical dimension to the corporate-branded fix-up as the new ballfield took shape.
Belle Isle has been leased by the City of Detroit to the State of Michigan since 2014 and is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has poured roughly $174 million into capital projects on the island over the past 12 years, Hoodline has reported. That state investment has included the historic Belle Isle Casino, which reopened on March 13, 2026, after a $7.3 million restoration, marking one of several recent milestones in the island's ongoing revival.
Built on an Existing Corporate Partnership
The Belle Isle ballfield project did not spring up in isolation. Ford and Carhartt had already built a commercial partnership that included a Carhartt Edition Super Duty truck and co-branded apparel, a relationship Hoodline detailed in its coverage of Ford's new Dearborn headquarters store.
Carhartt, for its part, traces its roots to Hamilton Carhartt. The workwear maker is described as a Dearborn-based brand.
A Truck Launch Rides Alongside the Ballfield Debut
The park renovation also lined up with a commercial milestone: Ford's September 2026 debut of the 2027 F-150 Carhartt Edition, a $5,995 factory appearance and utility package built on the XLT 4x4 SuperCrew trim, featuring Carhartt-styled interior upholstery and heavy-duty bed liners, according to Auto123. The dugout benches fashioned from F-150 tailgates tie the two efforts together, giving the community project a visible link to the truck's rollout.
Part of a Bigger Wave of Island Investment
The ballfield work adds to other improvements on Belle Isle. The long-abandoned Belle Isle Zoo has been demolished or is undergoing demolition.
Dearborn, meanwhile, is slated for a similar baseball diamond renovation at Ford Field Park. The corporate-community model tested on Belle Isle looks set to cross the river into Dearborn next.
