Media Contacts: Troy, Michigan, April 5, 2018
Lisa Washington
(248) 643-6590
meetings@meeting-coordinators.com
Jaclyn Bussert
(248) 269-1122
jbussert@bianchipr.com
Marketing Professionals and Business Executives in Southeastern Michigan receive honors and awards at the MSED Evening of Excellence on March 27th
Matthew Cullen, principal of Rock Ventures LLC and CEO of JACK Entertainment LLC, Lon Offenbacher, President and CEO of Inteva Products, Jake Sigal, CEO of Tome, along with Platinum Award winners SS Digital Media Founder, Nick Skislak and Detroit Metro Convention & Visitor Bureau (DMCVB) President and CEO Larry Alexander received honors for their accomplishments at the Evening of Excellence hosted by the Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) on March 27 at the Gem Theatre in Detroit.
This 23rd annual Evening of Excellence celebrated the outstanding achievements of exceptional marketing professionals and business executives in southeastern Michigan.
Matthew Cullen, principal of Rock Ventures LLC and chief executive officer of JACK Entertainment LLC, was recognized with the Herb Everss Lifetime Achievement Award. This Award is presented in honor of Herb Everss, one of the founders of MSED, and is awarded to outstanding business leaders who have made a significant impact in their company, their industry and the communities in which they reside. As CEO of JACK Entertainment and principal of Rock Ventures, Cullen has helped bring hundreds of companies, as well as thousands of new workers and residents into the city and has helped transform the way people view investing in Detroit. Prior to his current position, Cullen served as the general manager of economic development and enterprise services for General Motors Corp. He also serves as president and CEO of the M-1 Rail Streetcar initiative. The 6.6-mile streetcar, known as QLINE, launched in May and connects the city’s largest cultural destinations, educational and entertainment facilities and employment centers along Woodward Avenue. The Herb Everss Lifetime Achievement Award is the third award that Cullen has received from MSED.
Lon Offenbacher received the 2018 Executive Leadership Award. Since founding Inteva Products in 2008, he has tripled the size of the company, expanding to nearly 50 sites worldwide and growing the customer base exponentially to 90 automakers. Prior to starting Inteva Products, Offenbacher served as business line executive for the Integrated Closure, Cockpit, and Interior Systems business lines at Delphi Corp. Offenbacher was recently named 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Michigan and Northern Ohio Region and a national finalist for the U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year.
Jake Sigal was presented with the 2018 Trailblazer Award. As co-founder and CEO of Tome, a software company located in Royal Oak, Michigan, Sigal creates organic opportunities to collaborate with established companies and market leaders spanning a variety of industries. The company was named TechWeek Detroit’s 2017 Startup of the Year. Prior, Sigal was founder of Livio, an automotive connectivity company. Sigal sits on the Consumer Technology Association’s Board of Industry Leaders and is a proud supporter of TechStars.
In addition to our three executives, MSED also honored sales and marketing excellence with two Platinum Awards, recognizing individuals in the marketing and sales field who have distinguished themselves by helping their companies achieve critical business success.
Nick Skislak, Founder of SS Digital Media received one of the Platinum Awards for his fully integrated marketing agency with an emphasis on providing clients with a solid digital strategy. The company continually shares its findings with clients, transforming them from being active in the marketplace to advocates championing the needs of their customers.
The second Platinum Awardee is Larry Alexander, President and CEO of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitor Bureau (DMCVB). The DMCVB sales and marketing team's positive and enthusiastic approach to selling Detroit paid dividends over the past few years. Their new campaign, “It’s Go Time,” reflects the region as a vibrant place to visit with its new tech shops, retailers, restaurants and more. The Detroit Sports Commission (DSC), a subsidiary, was created to better position Detroit to be able to attract multiple high-profile sporting events. In 2017, the DMCVB and DSC hosted over 200 events and over 350,000 combined room nights were booked, worth nearly $500 million. They also successfully secured bids to host the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championship and seven future NCAA Championships.
Congratulations to all of the Award Winners! Proceeds from MSED events support the Detroit marketing and sales community through educational programming and collegiate scholarships.
For more information on the MSED or to get information on the next Evening of Excellence, event sponsorships or advertising opportunities, contact Meeting Coordinators at 248-643-6590 or visit the MSED website at www.msedetroit.org/2018Celebration.
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Founded in 1988, the Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit (MSED) is a non-profit association of accomplished sales and marketing professionals that recognize the powerful advantage of building and nurturing relationships with their peers and their community. MSED provides the network and resources to advance new thinking, exchange counsel, ideas and new business; and help its members advance their sales and marketing careers. MSED contributions to charities and its own scholarship program help foster the value of the sales and marketing profession in the community.