NEWS
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.
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:
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.
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/
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
August 10, 2016 - Ann Arbor, Michigan HouseSetter, a Michigan-based company, has introduced a low-cost, portable monitoring solution to give homeowners peace of mind while they’re away. At $120 for the hardware, and service starting as low as $5 a month, HouseSetter’s canine-shaped device monitors a home’s vitals: power, temperature, and humidity. If something goes awry, owners will receive text or email alerts until the issue is resolved. HouseSetter has built-in wireless capability and operates on Verizon’s award-winning wireless network, so there’s no need for a home internet connection, Wi-Fi, or phone line. “We want to provide people with the simplest, lowest cost way to keep an eye on their house,” said Walt Dorfstatter, CEO of HouseSetter. “And while it takes a lot of advanced technology to make that work, our intent is to deliver our service in a way that makes all that complexity invisible so we’re providing peace of mind instead of unwanted science lessons.” Ann Arbor-based development company Logic Solutions is one of HouseSetter’s key partners in the venture. Logic’s team designed and built HouseSetter’s public facing website with an eCommerce module to enroll subscribers and manage renewals; developed the communication software between the web server and the Verizon wireless carrier; and created the client facing web UI to engage, renew, and send reports to users. “Michiganders provide a great use case for HouseSetter,” said Matt Sarkesian, Chief Technology Officer of Logic Solutions. “When ‘snowbirds’ spend winters in another region of the country, they are unaware of power outages in Michigan. With HouseSetter, they can get alerted of issues – such as extremely low temperatures in the house that can cause pipes to freeze – and instantly take steps to avoid a major financial consequence.” For more information about HouseSetter and Sherlock, please visit www.housesetter.com. ###
About HouseSetterHouseSetter is a Michigan-based company established by several former founding members of OnStar. With their deep background in wireless networks and connectivity, they decided to create a simple, low-cost solution to help homeowners keep an eye on their homes while away. Given the founders’ mutual affection for “man’s best friend,” the HouseSetter device naturally took the shape of a dog. For the latest updates on HouseSetter, visit www.housesetter.com or follow them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/housesetter.
About Logic Solutions
Logic Solutions is an international, privately held development firm headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. With a team of 200 experts in six offices worldwide, Logic provides eCommerce solutions, custom software, websites, and mobile application development. Visit www.logicsolutions.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Angela Kujava angela.kujava@logicsolutions.com 734-930-0009
The Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit(MSED) is accepting nominations of noteworthy marketing and sales professionals in southeastern Michigan for the organization’s coveted Platinum Awards.
Two Platinum Award winners will be honored at the 22nd MSED Annual Awards Dinner in November. The awards recognize work which led to the awarding or generation of new business and/or cost savings from Jan. 1, 2014 through June 30, 2016. Nominees do not have to be MSED members and the nominations can be made for a team or individual.
“Marketing and sales professionals are continuing to thrive in this growing economy,” said Dan Wolan, chairman of the 2016 MSED Platinum Awards and director of sales, Production Plus. “The Platinum Awards provide the opportunity for recipients to be recognized by their peers and to celebrate their business success.”
The nomination process starts with an executive summary form, which can be downloaded here http://www.msedetroit.org/Platinum, that must be submitted by August 15. If selected, the nominees will be required to submit additional information by September 15.
Judges, which will be made up of marketing and sales executives and past Platinum participants, will then select finalists based on qualifications, interviews and in-person presentations.
Finalists will be evaluated by MSED judges based on helping their companies achieve critical business success by overcoming obstacles, creating new sales and marketing approaches, meeting business goals, exhibiting exemplary leadership and delivering significant accomplishment during 2014, 2015 and the first part of this year, with the winners being announced at MSED’s Annual Awards celebration on November 9.
Past Platinum Award winners include individuals or teams from companies such as Dow Automotive, Priority Health, Grede Holdings, SKF, Rehmann, The Pink Fund, Reliance One, Altair and Little Caesars Enterprises.
For more information on the MSED Platinum Award nominations, event sponsorships or advertising opportunities, contact Meeting Coordinators at 248-643-6590 or visit the MSED website at www.msedetroit.org.
Contact Us(248) 643-6590
Address: PO Box 99463Troy, MI 48099
Association Management provided by:Meeting Coordinators, Inc.