The Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) recently honored five professionals for marketing and sales excellence at the 20th annual MSED Black-Tie Gala Dinner, held at the Roostertail in Detroit on October 16.
At this year’s Gala, Peter Karmanos Jr., former executive chairman and founder of Compuware Corporation, was the inaugural recipient of the Herb Everss Lifetime Achievement Award. Karmanos received the award in recognition of his dedication and commitment to Compuware and the Detroit community for the past 30 years. Because of his contributions, leadership skills and hands-on management, Compuware was transformed from a start-up to nearly $1 billion in annual revenue.
Alan Batey, senior vice president, Global Chevrolet Brand Chief and U.S. Sales and Marketing, General Motors, received the 2013 Executive Leadership Award. Before rising to his current global responsibilities, Batey held several senior management positions of increasing responsibility for General Motors around the world. He also has a history of delivering great business results, as evidenced by Chevrolet achieving 10 consecutive quarters of record sales.
Andra Rush, president and CEO, The Rush Group, was recognized with MSED’s Trailblazer Award, which honors a business leader whose marketing and sales approach steered their company into unchartered waters with very impactful results. Under her leadership, The Rush Group family of companies has grown into one of the largest Native American-owned business operations in the United States, opening up new opportunities for minorities, as well as creating hundreds of jobs in Detroit.
“As a community of marketing and sales professionals, we applaud the efforts of those who are also using their business skills to make the city of Detroit and our region a better place in which to live and work,” said Dave Harries, chairman of the 2013 MSED Gala and president of Spartan Marketing Services. “Each of our awardees has achieved significant accomplishments and we want to give them the recognition they so richly deserve.”
Also recognized at the Gala, Molly MacDonald, founder of the Pink Fund, and John Chalifoux, president, Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers’ Association (MERA), received Platinum Awards for their outstanding achievements in marketing and sales.
MacDonald was recognized with a Platinum Award for her launch of the Pink Fund, a short-term financial support program for those undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Since 2006, she has grown her organization into a nationally recognized cancer support system, which experienced an increase of 602 percent in applications and 329 percent in funding for 2012.
Chalifoux received the prestigious Platinum Award for advancing sustainability through manufacturing at the Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers’ Association (MERA). Since its launch in 2011, MERA has received international recognition for its sustainability movement, due in large part to the efforts of Chalifoux. Through his marketing-based approaches, he has also achieved impressive new member growth for MERA, which brings together nearly 90 major companies.
The MSED Gala, which is in its 20th year, is an annual event, celebrating the achievements of marketing and sales professionals and business executives throughout southeastern Michigan. The funds raised from this event allow the organization to provide educational and professional assistance within the metro-Detroit community.
“This gala is a way for us to honor the outstanding professionals in our area, and to ensure the livelihood of this profession by investing in future professionals through scholarships and education,” said Harries.