Menu
Log in
Log in

 




NEWS


  • Thursday, October 05, 2017 8:59 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Global marketing and communications firm Finn Partners today announced that Mike DeVilling, one of Detroit's longstanding public relations professionals, has joined the agency as Senior Partner.

    Reporting to Finn's managing partner, Dan Pooley, DeVilling will serve as senior partner in the Detroit office. He will lead new business development, client service and counsel, and will provide a variety of content, media relations and issues management services.

    "Mike brings entrepreneurial energy, senior leadership, marcomm expertise, strong community and industry knowledge to our growing Detroit team," Pooley said. "His background in multiple industry sectors is a great match for our Detroit office and his automotive experience adds to our strength in the technologies that are driving the future of vehicle autonomy and mobility. Mike will be a catalyst for both our Detroit office and for Finn Partners' automotive tech expertise around the globe."

    For more than nine years, DeVilling ran his own boutique agency in metro Detroit, servicing clients across the country in the automotive, nonprofit, real estate and personal finance sectors. His firm specialized in media relations, social media and content marketing services.

    DeVilling was previously on the management team at John Bailey & Associates, Detroit, rising to executive vice president in 2006.  While there, he led several automotive client relationships, including the North American International Auto Show. Prior to that, DeVilling was director of corporate communications for Cars.com. He also served on the management team at Eisbrenner Public Relations after launching his career at Casey Communications.

    "Finn Partners has quickly become one of the most respected global marketing and communications firms, and I've found out very quickly, the Detroit team reflects that reputation by doing amazing work for its clients," DeVilling said. "The Agency has a growing operation here, and is uniquely positioned to counsel clients at the intersection of the automotive and technology sectors. I look forward to helping the team continue to grow, both in Detroit and across the agency's network of offices."

    About Finn Partners
    Founded in 2011 on the core principles of innovation and collaborative partnership, Finn Partners has more than tripled in size in six years, becoming one of the fastest growing independent public relations agencies in the world. The full-service marketing and communications company's record-setting pace is a result of organic growth and integrating new companies and new people into the Finn Partners world through a common "work hard-play nice" philosophy. With over 550 professionals, Finn Partners provides its clients with global access and capabilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, in addition to its PROI Worldwide affiliates. Headquartered in New York, Finn Partners' other offices are in: Chicago, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Frankfurt, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Nashville, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, Shanghai, Singapore and Washington D.C. Find them at finnpartners.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @finnpartners.

    Contact:
    Renee.Martin@finnpartners.com
    212-715-1600

    SOURCE Finn Partners

  • Friday, September 08, 2017 3:22 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    SS Digital Media, a full-service digital marketing and advertising agency, recently was awarded the Renaissance Award by the Detroit Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

    SS Digital Media’s campaign to restore the reputation of the Humane Society of Macomb won a Gold Quill award in the Community Relations category of the Communication Management division. 

    Adhering to global IABC standards, the award is bestowed for excellence in strategic communication recognizing smart thinking, flawless execution and results. Each entry consists of two components: the work plan and the work sample. 

    SS Digital Media worked with the Humane Society of Macomb when the shelter was being assaulted by protesters, both online and physically on the sidewalk outside its front door. Local TV news stations featured the story often as the accusations involved treatment of animals, a tender subject for most. 

    The agency delved into the issues behind the accusations and helped the shelter remedy situations that led to misrepresentation in the media and online. A strategic plan, including operational changes, a new website and social media initiatives were implemented and within a relatively short time period, positive public sentiment was restored. 

    “As gratifying as it is to win this award from IABC, the real ‘win’ was the turnaround in public opinion about the Humane Society of Macomb,” says Amanda Farley, accounts director and partner at SS Digital Media. “Swift communications action in a crisis situation is critical and we were delighted at the outcome. HSM has since been recognized as a model shelter and we continue to work with them to spread the word about their caring, compassionate care.” 

    The IABC awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, October 4, from Noon to 2:00 at the Henry in Dearborn. 

    # # # 

    SS Digital Media is a full-service digital marketing and advertising agency in Troy, Michigan. Services include e-commerce strategies and development, search and social marketing, brand design and implementation, website design and optimization, video production, measurement and reporting. For more information, please visit www.ssdigitalmedia.com.

  • Thursday, May 18, 2017 10:17 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Meeting Coordinators, Inc. today announced that Ann K. Bruttell, president and founder, has been named one of Smart Meetings 2017 Smart Women in Meetings Industry Leaders.  


    “It’s truly an honor to be recognized by my industry with this award,” said Bruttell. “When starting my own firm and throughout my career I, alongside my team, have strived to maintain close client relationships and provide them with exceptional service based on our vast experience and best practices.”


    Since founding the firm in 1988, Bruttell has led Meeting Coordinators to be a top association and meeting management firm in Southeast Michigan, assisting companies and organizations with professional meeting planning and execution, from site selection, contract negotiation and attendee registration to onsite execution and logistics of the event. In addition, the firm provides association management services for volunteer-led organizations. In her role, Bruttell ensures the day-to-day operations of the company run smoothly.


    Bruttell is currently on the board of the Michigan Council on Economic Education and a member of the Michigan Society of Association Executives. In 2015, she received the Most Valuable Professional Award from Corp! magazine.


    According to Smart Meetings, the Smart Women in Meetings Awards honor talented, dedicated women who are making an impact on the meetings industry by elevating and inspiring female meeting ambassadors worldwide. Award winners will be recognized on April 28 at the Smart Women in Meetings Awards luncheon at the 2017 Smart Women Summit in Denver.


    The second annual Smart Women in Meetings Awards recognizes the industry’s top female meeting professionals in five categories, including Industry Leaders, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Doers and Rising Stars. For more information, visit: Top 50 Smart Women in Meetings 2017.  


    About Meeting Coordinators, Inc.

    Since 1988, Meeting Coordinators, Inc. has been the leading association and meeting management firm in Southeast Michigan. The firm organizes and executes corporate meetings, conferences and events from five to 30,000 participants on a local, national and international basis. Additionally, it provides association management services for volunteer-led organizations. Current clients include Autoline, Detroit Association for Talent Development, Detroit Society for Human Resource Management, Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit, Michigan Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, State of Michigan Department of Agriculture-Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, Project Management Institute-GLC, SAE International, SAE Foundation, Wings & Wine Society, and Women in Defense-Michigan. For more information, visit www.meeting-coordinators.com


  • Thursday, May 18, 2017 10:15 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    What better way to celebrate your 25th birthday than with 50 of your best friends? Bianchi Public Relations, Inc. and the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) – which are both celebrating 25th anniversaries this year – today announced the addition of two new communications agency affiliates to one of the world’s largest PR agency networks. These firms – S&A Communications and asoluto – joined PRGN during the consortium’s recent bi-annual meeting in Dallas, Texas. The group also unveiled a new PRGN website, which incorporates powerful search functionality to help companies find the right expertise in the right location around the globe. The new prgn.com also is a new resource for PR professionals searching for tools and templates, including press releases or plans, while serving as one of the first-ever international job search banks for the profession.


    “Bianchi PR has been a proud PRGN member since 2014,” said James A. Bianchi, president of Bianchi PR. “Our ability to harness the power of more than four dozen independent agencies worldwide allows us to serve clients whenever and wherever they need us.”


    During the Dallas meeting, PRGN members elected Christina Rytter, managing director and founder of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Scandinavian Communications as its new president. Rytter, who replaces Evelyn Holtzhausen, founder and director of South Africa-based HWB Communications,  leads the worldwide network of 50 independently owned firms for the next 12 months. Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, PRGN is planning a celebration for its 25th anniversary later this year. With more than $101 million in revenues and 900 professionals in 50 locations, PRGN is one of the world’s largest international public relations networks.


     “As we celebrate 25 years of service to our clients around the world, we’re thrilled to reach the 50-member mark for the organization,” said Rytter. “The addition of a multi-disciplinary firm in Austria further strengthens our impact across the European Union, while our expansion in the southern U.S. increases our capabilities in such key practice areas as technology, health care and government relations.


    The newly inducted agencies are:

    • S&A Communications: Founded in 1982, this North Carolina-based firm is an integrated marketing brand that grew from deep-seated PR roots. For more than 35 years, it has evolved into a team of strategic marketing professionals whose driving goal is to help clients outthink, outwork and outperform their competition. S&A’s nationwide client base looks to them for public relations, marketing, digital, creative, photography, event planning and custom-publishing services. S&A’s executive leadership team includes Chuck Norman, APR, owner and principal; Bill Zadeits, owner and principal; and Ron Smith, APR, founder and owner.
    • asoluto: The Vienna, Austria-based agency is among the country‘s biggest PR and communications organizations. Founded in 2011 by the merger of two long-established firms, asoluto combines traditional PR with integrated digital services, including social media campaigns and web project development under one brand. The team of 20 specialists works for both local and international clients, representing such brands as AEG, Roche, paysafecard and QuintilesIMS. asoluto earned a national award nomination for its non-smoker protection communications campaign, “DON‘T SMOKE, which ultimately led to the passing of new legislation in Austria. asoluto is led by managing partners Robert Bauer, Brigitte Mühlbauer, Andreas Freitag, Béatrice Verdino and Martin Verdino.

    The New PRGN.com

    PRGN’s enhanced website represents a significant milestone for the global network. A complete redesign of the site now allows businesses and corporations worldwide to more easily research and connect with the communications partners that fit their needs.


    “The new, search friendly PRGN.com gives prospective clients one-stop access to a curated suite of PR services. Also, it serves as a common conversation point for member agencies to interact with each other and build business together,” said Bianchi. “For those on the outside, it’s a new resource that anyone can use, including those hunting for a job in one of our 50 markets.”

     

    PRGN partners meet twice a year in cities around the world. The next meeting will be held in October 2017 in Kyoto, Japan. At each meeting, the group’s leadership teams discuss best practices and find new ways to collaborate and develop business partnerships globally. Agency members are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide. Companies or organizations interested in the services of PRGN’s local agency network can visit www.prgn.com for more information.


    Independent agencies interested in joining the network can visit the member recruitment section of the PRGN website for more information or email its membership chair, Layth Dajani, founder of The Content Factory at layth@tcf-me.com.


    About Bianchi PR

    With special expertise in PR and social media for automotive suppliers, professional service firms and other business to business enterprises, Bianchi PR is now celebrating its 25th year. The firm is ranked the top independent PR agency based in Metro Detroit, according to PRWeek’s most recent ranking of public relations firms.


    Among Bianchi PR’s ongoing automotive, industrial and business-to-business PR clients are Adient, ATA National Title, BASF, Cooper Standard, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, KIRCO, Schaeffler Group, SRG Global and Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. The firm’s experience also includes work with organizations such as SAE International, the Automotive Industry Action Group, the Center for Automotive Research and the Steel Market Development Institute. For more information, visit http://www.bianchipr.com or call 248-269-1122.


    About Public Relations Global Network (PRGN)

    Clients across six continents depend on the combined resources of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) to deliver targeted public relations campaigns in markets around the world. With revenues of more than $101 million (US), PRGN is one of the world’s largest international public relations networks. PRGN harnesses the resources of 50 independent public relations firms and more than 900 communications professionals to connect international companies and organizations with individual and culturally diverse markets globally. Visit PRGN online at www.prgn.com or on twitter at @PRGN.


  • Tuesday, April 11, 2017 3:31 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Hunter Group Partners are pleased to present the third of our 2017 Leadership Trends Series with "Small Talk with Mark S. Lee" on CBS Radio and Crain's Detroit.

    Our co-founder, Sherry Muir Irwin, recently discussed Evolving Leadership Trends for Women in the Auto Industry Across MI with Mark S. Lee. To read the article click here: http://leegroupinnovation.com/evolving-leadership-trends-for-women-with-the-automotive-industry-across-michigan/




    To listen to the radio broadcast, click here: http://leegroupinnovation.com/small-talk-with-mark-s-lee-april-2-2017/

    To speak with our partners about leadership trends for women in the auto industry, contact us at Tel: 248.645.1551 and visit us on www.huntergroup.com


  • Thursday, March 23, 2017 3:01 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Detroit Region Aerotropolis Development Corp. named MSED Board Member, Rob Luce, as its new executive director.

    Luce, 37, began his post March 6 to oversee the economic development agency's day-to-day operations and will report to the board of directors, the organization announced Tuesday. He is the first person to take on this role for the agency, which was managed by Wayne County or a part-time consultant since its inception in 2013, Luce said.


    "Rob's experience, knowledge, and passion for economic development in Southeast Michigan make him the ideal leader for the Aerotropolis," Detroit Region Aerotropolis Executive Committee Chairman Tim Keyes said in a news release. "His work with MICHauto and knowledge of the automotive sector will be a valuable addition to our organization."


    Luce brings more than a decade of experience as director of the Detroit Regional Chamber's MICHauto and Automotive Retention & Growth initiative. There he oversaw marketing of the state's automotive assets, lobbying for the industry in Lansing, attracting automotive investment, and creating initiatives to help improve the talent pipeline for auto companies.

    Luce also has political experience as a fundraising director for a state Senate campaign and as a legislative aide in the state Senate. He has also worked in government relations and as an executive mortgage banker at Quicken Loans Inc.


    He earned a business degree from Adrian College in 2003 and a master of public administration from Eastern Michigan University in 2010, according to the release.


    Detroit Region Aerotropolis is a public/private agency that advocates for investment in the Detroit Metropolitan Airport region. The agency is supported by various public and private entities including DTE Energy Co., Wayne County Airport Authority, cities surrounding the Metro Airport, and Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

  • Monday, February 13, 2017 11:34 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Brand design and website development firm Q LTD is honored to announce its role as design partner to the 2017 Ann Arbor Folk Festival, a fundraiser for The Ark, presented by Ford Motor Company Fund.


    To support The Ark in promotion of the 40th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Q provided creative services for this year’s festival design theme, which is applied across a range of promotional and communications materials, such as the official poster, event program, T-shirt design, invitations, and branded merchandise.


    This year’s Folk Festival design theme features custom illustration work created by Q creative director Mike Bell. The intricate “beard and birds” piece was drawn by Bell on an iPad Pro. He wanted to capture the vibe of folk, indie, and roots music with an unexpected, yet familiar, subject. Bell says collaboration with fellow Q designer Katie Chang and The Ark’s marketing director, Barb Chaffer Authier, led to many improvements on the original concept.


    “Each year is a challenge in fresh design thinking since our goal is to bring captivating new ideas to this important Ark benefit event,” says Bell. “Serving as design partner gives us the opportunity to showcase our creativity in design and branding.”


    Q has been design partner for the Ann Arbor Folk Festival since 2003. The Q design and website development team also created The Ark’s website, which launched for the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2015.


    The 40th annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival takes place January 27 and 28 at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.


    Q LTD is a brand design studio and marketing communications consultancy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with team members in Palm Springs and Toronto. On international projects, Q collaborates with Q GmbH in Wiesbaden, Germany. Q has created strategic brand identities, websites, and print collateral for clients throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Learn more at www.qltd.com.

  • Thursday, December 01, 2016 1:39 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Ann Arbor-based branding and design firm Q LTD celebrates 35 years of developing visual identities, brand strategies, and marketing communications for a broad range of local, regional, and global clients.

    To mark the occasion and share a look back at the firm’s history and people, the Q crew developed a custom anniversary website,  www.q35.qltd.com. The site features the Q story, milestones, photos, alumni and interns, and a retrospective of the firm’s own brand history.


    Founded in 1981 by partners Tom Rieke, Jim Frenza, and Doug Hesseltine as Quorum Communications, the company changed its name and brand mark to Q LTD in 1994.

    Today, the firm is owned by Christine Golus and Jeffrey Callender, both longtime Q operatives.


    “Q is the world’s smallest global branding and design firm,” says Tom Rieke. With headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the firm also has satellite offices in Palm Springs, California and Toronto, Ontario. On international projects, Q collaborates with its European partner agency, Q GmbH in Wiesbaden, Germany.


    Over the past 35 years, notable Q clients have included the annual SIGGRAPH conference on computer graphics; the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, School of Nursing, and Wallace House; Yale University’s C2; The Kresge Foundation; Bosch; NuStep; and North Star Reach. Q also designed and developed the first website for Borders Books and Music.


    “We’re proud of the history we have as an independent design firm, and the work we do to help clients. We’re consistently delivering fresh ideas and cutting edge work to our clients. That will always be part of Q’s culture,” says Christine Golus, managing partner at Q LTD.


    About Q

    Q LTD’s expertise includes brand strategy, visual identity, website design and development, print collateral, marketing, advertising, video/animation, naming, content strategy, and tradeshows/exhibits. Learn more at www.qltd.com.
  • Tuesday, October 11, 2016 9:17 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Valeo, one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers, has selected Bianchi Public Relations, Inc. – a public relations agency with deep expertise in the automotive sector – to provide media relations support in North America.


    Bianchi PR will provide Valeo North America with targeted PR counsel, media relations assistance and trade show and industry event support, all aimed to expand awareness across North America of Valeo’s identity as an innovative automotive technology provider, a leader in autonomous driving, safety and CO2 reduction.


    Valeo is an automotive supplier and partner to all automakers worldwide. As a technology company, Valeo proposes innovative products and systems that contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions and to the development of intuitive driving. In 2015, the Group generated sales of $16.4 billion (€14.5 billion) and invested over 10 percent of its original equipment sales in research and development. Valeo has 148 plants, 19 research centers, 35 development centers and 15 distribution platforms, and employs 88,800 people in 32 countries worldwide. Valeo is listed on the Paris stock exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index. For more information about the Valeo Group and its activities, please visit its website at www.valeo.com.


    About Bianchi PR

    With special expertise in automotive supplier PR, business-to-business PR and related social media, Bianchi PR was founded in 1992 and is ranked among the top five independent PR agencies based in Michigan, according to PRWeek’s 2015 ranking of public relations firms.


    Among Bianchi PR’s ongoing automotive, industrial and business-to-business PR clients are BASF, Cooper Standard, Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, Johnson Controls and Schaeffler Group. The firm’s experience also includes work with organizations such as SAE International, the Automotive Industry Action Group, the Center for Automotive Research and the Steel Market Development Institute. For more information, visit http://www.bianchipr.com or call 248-269-1122.


    Bianchi PR is a member of the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), one of the world’s largest international public relations networks. Clients across six continents depend on the combined resources of PRGN to deliver targeted public relations campaigns in markets around the world.  With revenues of more than $110 million, PRGN harnesses the resources of nearly 50 independent public relations firms and more than 900 communications professionals to connect international companies and organizations with individual and culturally diverse markets globally.  Visit PRGN online at www.prgn.com or on twitter at @PRGN


  • Wednesday, September 14, 2016 10:45 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Contract Professionals, Inc. (CPI) was recently selected as one of the 2016 Cool Places to Work in Michigan. The annual list of “Cool Places to Work” was created by Crain’s Detroit Business and Best Companies Group.

    This survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Michigan, benefiting the state's economy, its work force and businesses.

    “We are grateful to Crain’s for recognizing CPI as a cool place to work. CPI evaluates our employee incentive program every year. We strive to make CPI a “cool place” to work everyday,” said Jim Cowper, president, CPI.

    To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

    - Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity;

    - Be a publicly or privately held business;

    - Have a facility in the state of Michigan;

    - Have at least 15 employees working in Michigan;

    - Must be in business a minimum of one year.

    Organizations from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Cool Places to Work in Michigan. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top organizations and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration, survey and analysis process and determined the final rankings.


    Public announcement of the entire list and rankings of the 3rd annual Cool Places to Work in Michigan program was published by Crain’s Detroit Business on August 29, 2016. Program partners are Crain’s Detroit Business and Best Companies Group. For more information on the Cool Places to Work in Michigan program, visit www.CoolPlacestoWorkMI.com

    ABOUT CPI Contract Professionals, Inc. was established in 1982. It is a privately held, certified veteran owned Michigan corporation headquartered in Waterford, Michigan with branch offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, De Pere, Wisconsin and Killeen, Texas.  For more information, please visit www.cpijobs.com. @CPIJobsInc.


Contact Us
(248) 643-6590

Address:
PO Box 99463
Troy, MI 48099

Association Management provided by:
Meeting Coordinators, Inc.

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software