NEWS
TROY, Mich., Aug. 10, 2015 – Though Bianchi Public Relations, Inc.– a full-service business-to-business public relations agency with special expertise in business-to-business and automotive supplier PR – has passed a number of milestones in its 23-year history, the past year has been one of the agency’s most exciting, according to agency founder and president Jim Bianchi.
“In the past 12 months, we’ve grown in ways that should benefit us and our clients for years to come,” Bianchi said. “We continued to diversify our client base, expanded our global reach and created a landmark study on social media use in the auto supplier space. And we accomplished all that while continuing to provide top-notch service to our long-time clients who are among the world’s leading manufacturers.”
Since August of last year, Bianchi PR:
Bianchi acknowledges the firm’s “loyal clients, steadfast partners and a talented team” that are the core of the firm’s tenure of success. He said that though the tools of the trade may have changed dramatically since 1992, our role hasn’t changed: to help clients connect with their publics by providing them with counsel, content, context and credibility.
“While we have grown in scope and experience over the past 23 years, our intense focus on generating positive, real-world results for our clients remains constant,” Bianchi said. “That’s one of the key reasons we've retained many clients well beyond the industry average of two to three years. In fact, our top four clients have been with us for an average of 17.5 years.”
Longevity and stability are hallmarks of the Bianchi PR team as well, with the account staff averaging 14.4 years with the firm. For example, the firm’s vice president of account service, Jessica Muzik, has been with Bianchi PR for more than 19 years, having started in 1996 as an intern.
In an industry where relationships are paramount, Bianchi points to the experience of his core team and the relationships that they’ve cultivated with the firm’s clients and key local, regional and national media over the years.
Initially focusing on PR for the transportation sectors, Bianchi PR broadened its expertise over two decades and now offers extensive experience in automotive and industrial, professional service firm and business-to-business PR. Current ongoing clients include some of the world’s leading manufacturers, such as BASF, Cooper Standard Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, Johnson Controls Automotive (Seating), Schaeffler Group, ZF TRW and 3M Automotive.
The firm has also worked with organizations such as SAE International, the Automotive Industry Action Group, the Center for Automotive Research, the Motor Vehicle Lighting Council and the Steel Market Development Institute; truck industry suppliers such as Fruehauf Trailer and Accuride; technology specialists such as Munro & Associates, NxtGen Emission Control and Ricardo; and professional service firms in areas such as law, consulting, engineering, market research and forecasting sectors.
What’s next for Bianchi PR’s in its 24th year?
Leveraging the firm’s professional service experience and fulfilling the sector’s need for data and insight, Bianchi PR will soon release a study – called SMUPS™ – for Social Media Use by Professional Services – that dissects how top Detroit-area professional service firms are using social media and identifies key opportunities and problems, Bianchi said.
The firm will also work with its PRGN partners for the national rollout of an innovation for one of the world’s largest quick-serve food companies.
About Bianchi Public Relations, Inc.
An award-winning PR agency based in Troy, Mich., near the auto industry’s nexus of Detroit, Bianchi PR was launched in 1992 by accredited PR practitioner and PRSA Detroit Hall of Famer Jim Bianchi.
With special expertise in the business-to-business and automotive supplier realms, the firm has also represented clients in related sectors including the professional services, commercial vehicle, association, consulting, design, engineering, industrial, business law, manufacturing and technology sectors. For more information, visit www.bianchipr.com or call 248-269-1122.
TROY, Mich. -- July 24, 2015 – The Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED), the premier marketing and sales organization for innovation, business, career and leadership development, is opening its membership to marketing and sales professionals in all phases of their career.
Formerly, MSED membership was available only to executives, but the organization recently broadened its membership categories as it seeks to include students studying sales and marketing, young and emerging professionals, and retirees looking to give back to the profession. This allows MSED to discover new ideas regarding mentoring and professional development seminars and workshops and expand its networking capabilities.
“To serve as the premier marketing and sales organization with access to leading industry experts in the greater Detroit region has always been MSED’s vision,” said Grant Faulkner, president of MSED and sales director, IHS Automotive. “That vision has never wavered, and a broader membership base has the potential to connect so many more people to share opportunities for knowledge exchange as well as mentoring and networking, supporting the core values of the organization.”
To join MSED, please visit www.msedetroit.org/requirements. Individual memberships are $200. A one-time initiation fee of $50 will be applied to the application and added at the end of the application processing. Student memberships are $25, retiree memberships are $100 and corporate membership can include up to five members for $795. MSED memberships are annual and renew one year from the date of application approval.
For further information, please call (248) 643-6590 or visit the website at www.msedetroit.org.
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP recently received a Turnaround Atlas Award for its role in the City of Detroit’s Chapter 9 Plan of Reorganization. The Plan of Reorganization was named the “Turnaround of the Year.” The annual Turnaround Atlas Awards honor landmark deals, industry leaders, influential professionals and outstanding firms of the year from the restructuring and turnaround communities worldwide. Global M&A Network, a diversified information and digital media company, presents the awards. Accepting the award on behalf of Honigman at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, were firm partners Judy B. Calton and Scott B. Kitei. Honigman served as lead counsel for The Detroit Institute of Arts throughout the City's Chapter 9 bankruptcy case. The firm advanced the DIA’s position that the museum art collection could not be used to satisfy municipal debts because the art collection was held in charitable trust and public trust and because donors had placed transfer and sale restrictions on artwork that were enforceable under Chapter 9. Honigman also represented the DIA in the negotiation and consummation of the Grand Bargain, which was approved by the court. The Grand Bargain involved: (1) the contributions of $366 million by local and national foundations, $100 million by the DIA (through the support of foundations, corporations and individual donors), and $350 million by the State of Michigan; (2) the conveyance by the City of Detroit to the DIA of all of the City’s interests in all museum assets, including the DIA’s encyclopedic art collection and building; and (3) the commitment by the DIA to hold the museum assets in trust for the benefit of the residents of the City of Detroit, counties of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne, and the State of Michigan in perpetuity. More than 35 Honigman attorneys and staff helped guide the DIA through the City’s bankruptcy, including representatives of the following disciplines: 1) bankruptcy; 2) corporate; 3) government relations; 4) litigation; 5) mergers and acquisitions; 6) non-profit; 7) real estate; 8) tax; and 9) trusts and estates. Honigman is proud to be named among the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” and the Detroit Free Press “Top Workplaces.” For more information about Honigman visit www.honigman.com
About Honigman Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP is a business law firm serving clients locally, nationally and internationally from its Michigan base. Headquartered in Detroit with offices in Lansing, Bloomfield Hills, Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo, the firm has attorneys practicing in more than 50 different areas of concentration. Honigman’s highly credentialed attorneys and staff, along with its customer-service focus, provide clients in a wide variety of industries timely and cost-effective counsel. Honigman is proud to be named among the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” and theDetroit Free Press “Top Workplaces.” For more information about Honigman visitwww.honigman.com.
Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP has announced it is joining with litigation firm, Schopf & Weiss LLP, establishing a Chicago presence as part of a strategic growth plan aimed at better serving clients and expanding its national reach. As part of the expansion, the firm also announced the addition of two partners to the Chicago office as the first step in rounding out the new location’s practice areas. Corporate partner René Ghadimi will join Honigman from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, while Paul Hastings LLP attorney Gregory A. Morris will come on board as a partner in its Intellectual Property Department. “The combination with Schopf & Weiss, which has a stellar reputation for its litigation prowess, enables us to expand into Chicago to better serve our clients and bolster the firm’s talent base in key strategic areas,” said David Foltyn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honigman. “The addition of two experienced partners in René and Gregory is just the beginning of our growth in Chicago, and we look forward to building on a common culture that is as driven, innovative and ambitious as that of the clients we serve.” Already Michigan’s largest law firm, Honigman now has more than 300 legal professionals in the Midwest and a growing national client base served by prominent practices in intellectual property, private equity, corporate and securities, real estate and litigation, among others. Effective today, it will be joined by 14 litigators from Schopf & Weiss, augmenting its deep bench of litigation talent and enabling Schopf & Weiss clients to benefit from the resources of a full-service law firm. New Chicago office hire Ghadimi, who has 20-years of experience, will represent a wide variety of clients, including private equity firms, in highly complex U.S. and international financing transactions, while Morris’s practice will focus on patent litigation for a broad range of technologies. Morris will also help lead the firm's Life Science Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, including Post-Grant Proceedings. “Both firms have drive, good judgment and creative problem solving skills, and are accessible, responsive and proactive,” said Steve Weiss, former Chairman of Schopf & Weiss. The Chicago office is located at 1 South Wacker Drive. For more, visit honigmangainground.com About Honigman Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP is a business law firm serving clients locally, nationally and internationally. Headquartered in Detroit, the firm recently added a Chicago office to its Michigan locations in Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Kalamazoo and Lansing. Honigman’s attorneys practice in more than 50 different areas of concentration. The firm’s highly credentialed attorneys and staff, along with its client-service focus, provide clients timely and cost-effective counsel in a wide variety of industries. Honigman is proud to be named among the “101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” and theDetroit Free Press “Top Workplaces.” For more information about Honigman visitwww.honigman.com.
TROY, Michigan -- Meeting Coordinators, Inc., the leading association and meeting management firm in southeast Michigan, announced that its president, Ann K. Bruttell, was honored with a Most Valuable Professional Award from Corp! magazine, presented at a ceremony on Thursday, April 23, 2015 at the VistaTech Center at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan.
The Most Valuable Professional award was inaugurated by the publication to spotlight C-suite executives and entrepreneurs of distinction, who represent the trailblazer mentality and philosophies that keep Michigan strong.
When asked about her personal vision, Bruttell notes that “the world is run by those who show up. However, many people lack confidence in their own abilities. To show up is risky. It requires courage, pride in yourself, tenacity, moral fortitude and a willingness to learn from others.”
Bruttell founded Meeting Coordinators in 1988 after working for another meeting and association management company. “It was time for the next step in my career by becoming an independent meeting consultant,” she says. “After all, what’s the worst that could have happened? If it didn’t work, I was skilled and employable. Thankfully, it worked!”
Economic conditions from 2007-2010 made it difficult for businesses to remain strong, “but an interesting thing happened — it made those of us who survived stronger,” Bruttell says. “We were willing to break out of traditional modes, learn new modes of operation and form strong alliances. We need to continue this work philosophy as we move forward.”
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Since 1988, Meeting Coordinators, Inc. has been the leading association and meeting management firm in Southeast Michigan. We organize and execute corporate meetings conferences and events from 5 to 30,000 participants on a local, national and international basis. Additionally, we provide association management services for volunteer-led organizations.
For more information, please visit www.meeting-coordinators.com.
On Monday, March 2nd, Reliance One is celebrating the official opening of their Chicago-Area office. The company is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan and specializes in engineering and information technology recruiting services. The new office reflects the company's vision of expansion and growth into one of the leading recruiting firms in the Midwest.
Reliance One Inc. is a minority-owned, MMSDC-certified staffing corporation headquartered in Michigan with a focus on matching the ideal professional to a client’s specific needs for both long-term, short-term, or project based positions (including temporary, temporary to direct, or direct).
Reliance One, a minority owned staffing and recruiting firm, was just ranked as the 20th largest (2013 Revenue) Staffing Firm in Metro Detroit by Crain’s Detroit Business. Reliance One broke into the top 20 by increasing (2013) revenue by 36%. The growth was fueled by strategic alliances with new clients and the opening of another office, located in Bingham Farms. In addition, Reliance One has hired a number of new team members which has helped meet the demand for our customers. “There is a lot of momentum in Detroit, and our services are more in demand than ever,” said Jim Beath, Chairman and Co-Founder of Reliance One. We partner with companies that are serious about hiring the right person at the right time. This partnership allows us to put the right number of team members on our customers’ most critical job openings. Companies are struggling to find the talent they need to meet their resource demands and unemployment is very low in southeast Michigan for experienced, technical professionals. Our employees make the difference when it comes to providing great customer service and highly qualified candidates. Reliance One is currently planning the opening of new offices in markets that are geographically located near current customers with plans of attracting new business.
TROY, Mich., Oct. 2, 2014 – The Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) will honor top executives Joseph Anderson Jr., chairman and CEO of TAG Holdings, LLC; John Rakolta Jr., chairman and CEO of Walbridge; and Toby Barlow, executive vice president and chief creative officer of Global Team Ford at the annual black-tie Gala to be held at the Detroit Athletic Club on Nov. 20.
The 21st annual black-tie fundraiser, hosted by MSED, celebrates the outstanding achievements of exceptional marketing professionals and business executives in southeastern Michigan. Net proceeds from the MSED event supports scholarships, educational seminars and charitable events.
“It’s an honor to award such prestigious business and marketing professionals for their invaluable dedication to their respective industries,” said Dave Harries, chairman of the MSED Gala and president of Spartan Marketing Services. “Each year we look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding leaders and celebrating the success of our peers.”
Anderson, a highly distinguished military veteran and subject of the Oscar winning documentary “Anderson’s Platoon”, will be the recipient of the 2014 Herb Everss Lifetime Achievement Award. Through his leadership and success in building companies in the United States and Asia, as well as serving on the boards of several other public businesses, Anderson has proven to be an invaluable asset and inspiration to both shareholders and employees.
Rakolta will receive the 2014 Executive Leadership Award. Rakolta held positions of increasing responsibility at Walbridge, where he succeeded his father John Rakolta Sr., as chairman and CEO in 1979. During his tenure, Rakolta has a history of delivering business results as evidenced by the growth of Walbridge from a regional firm to a global entity registering sales of $1.3 billion. Walbridge is recognized as an industry leader in the areas of safety, quality and lean construction.
Barlow will be recognized with the 2014 Trailblazer Award. Through his creative leadership at Team Detroit, Barlow blazed new trails for Ford as they navigated their way through the darkest time the automotive industry has ever seen. In addition, he has made tremendous efforts to make Michigan the primary source for excellent creative talent with efforts like the “Write-a-House” project.
The Gala will also recognize southeastern Michigan’s top sales and marketing professionals with MSED’s Platinum award. This year’s event will be emceed by award-winning writer, speaker and consultant, Bryce G. Hoffman.
Tickets for the black-tie event cost $150 for MSED members, $195 for non-members, $1,100 for a member’s table of eight and $1,400 for a non-members table. The price includes an elegant cocktail reception, dinner and afterglow reception. For more information on tickets, event details or sponsorship opportunities, contact Meeting Coordinators at (248) 643-6590 or visit the organization’s website at www.msedetroit.org.
Meet the Priority Health Sales Team, Winners of a 2012 MSED Platinum Award
Priority Health is an award-winning, Michigan-based non-profit health plan nationally recognized for improving the health and lives of its members. It continues to lead the industry in engaging members in their health, delivering effective health and disease management programs, and working with physicians to improve health care outcomes and performance. Priority Health is one of only 20 health plans nationwide with wellness programs accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, an organization that also rated Priority Health's plans among the best health plans in the nation. Priority Health was also named the benchmark plan by the State of Michigan for all individual and group plans to model.
Priority Health team members Scott Norman, Director of Sales and Client Services; Lenny Brucato, Senior Manager; and Tammie Briscoe, Account Manager accepted the Platinum Award in 2011.
MSED: MSED prides itself in being associated with the premiere marketing and sales executives in southeastern Michigan. What did it mean to the team to be awarded with the Platinum Award?
PH: Winning this award was a tremendous honor. We were very flattered to be recognized by an organization of marketing and sales professionals as prestigious as MSED.
MSED: How did you feel when you heard the team's name announced as a winner at the Black Tie Gala?
PH: Very excited. We all put a lot of time and efforts into our jobs and to be recognized like that was very rewarding and very exciting.
MSED: Can you share the story about what the team has accomplished to get the award?
PH: South East Michigan was a relatively new market for us at the time and we had been working to established ourselves in this area. We were recognized by MSED for those efforts and the resulting membership growth and provider network expansion in South East Michigan.
MSED: What advice do you have for aspiring Platinum Award winners who want to achieve success in marketing and/or sales?
PH: Know your customer and your sales people. They know what they want and what they need and are more than willing to tell you. You just have to be willing to listen and recognized that you may have to be willing to break from the status quo.
MSED: What do you enjoy most about MSED and in what ways, if any, has it helped you in your career?
PH: I enjoyed the relationships the most. MSED was how I met people like Susan Gibson, Len Damico and many other great people. They throw some pretty good parties, too!
Know of a great individual or team that deserves to be recognized for their excellent marketing and sales achievements? Nominate them for our Platinum Awards here.
Click to learn more about Priority Health
Know of an outstanding individual or team that deserves to be recognized? Nominate them for our Platinum Awards here.
Click to learn more about The Pink Fund.
Contact Us(248) 643-6590
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