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Q LTD recently completed a rebranding and responsive website design and development project for Wallace House at the University of Michigan, home to the Knight-Wallace Fellowships and the Livingston Awards, as well as the staff and leadership of these highly respected programs for journalists. The rebranding strategy now unifies both the Knight-Wallace Fellowships program and Livingston Awards under Wallace House and reinforces the organization’s affiliation with the University of Michigan. Q worked in partnership with Charles Eisendrath, Director, Wallace House; Birgit Rieck, Associate Director; and Melissa Riley, Program Manager. The rebranding was also based on insight gathered from Knight-Wallace Fellowship alumni and stakeholders. “Wallace House and the University of Michigan have established two very important programs that recognize and foster excellence in journalism, and we’re proud to play a supporting role through our work,” said Paul Koch, brand strategist at Q LTD. The new Wallace House brand design will be implemented across all marketing and communications materials, such as the Wallace House Journal, an HTML newsletter, print and digital advertising, awards programs, and a range of recruiting and informational brochures. The rebranding also includes a strategy for co-branding the two programs. “The Q team has produced exceptional work for us. They understood the transformative opportunities that our journalism programs offer and communicated these through both the brand messaging and design,” said Eisendrath. Experience the new Wallace House brand and website at wallacehouse.umich.edu.
About Q LTD
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. Q LTD is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and also has satellite offices in Palm Springs and Toronto. On international projects, Q collaborates with its partner agency in Europe, Q GmbH (Germany). Learn more at www.qltd.com.
ITEC strives to assist the automotive industry in the conversion from traditional vehicles to advanced electrified vehicles. The conference is “focused on components, standards, and grid interface technologies, related to efficient power conversion for all types of electrified transportation.” By displaying various existing electrical vehicles, ITEC hopes to inspire industry leaders to shift their innovations to create an environmentally friendly existence. In support of the electric automobile design and testing, NovaStar offers the following accredited electrical calibration services: force, torque, acceleration, electrical, thermodynamics, acoustics, pressure/vacuum, dimensional, hardness, and PH/conductivity. NovaStar will be exhibiting alongside Ford, General Motors, and Mercedes. With 12 keynote speakers, 5 training courses, and several industry exhibits, this conference is inviting to any automotive company or partner interested in the electrification of automobiles. For more information about ITEC, visit itec-conf.com.
NovaStar Solutions is a leading provider of new IT hardware and engineering software, IT asset management, and instrument calibration services. Our growth since 1998 is fueled by excellent service resulting in high levels of customer satisfaction. Located in Livonia, MI NovaStar serves automotive, manufacturing, aerospace, medical device makers, nuclear energy companies, and major universities among many other diverse businesses. For more information, please visit www.novastar.net
James Cowper, President, CPI, Jay Vorobel, Vice President, Eastern Region, CPI and Richard Ross, Director of Business Development, CPI, Command Sergeant Major (retired) met with General Funk (retired), General Thurman (retired) and General Jones (retired) on May 18, 2016 at Fort Hood to discuss how CPI can expand their veteran hiring initiative and employ additional transitioning soldiers and veterans. “CPI has been working with the transition center at Fort Hood and various other installations to help out-processing military personnel transition into the civilian workforce for more than 2 decades,” said Vorobel. “We are interested in growing and expanding this program, standardizing our processes, and identifying additional avenues to reach more veterans.” Ross created this opportunity to bring CPI together with key influencers at Fort Hood. “We want to develop a smooth employment path for our out-processing military personnel and veterans,” said Ross. “CPI has been employing veterans for decades. We have the skills and expertise necessary to assist our service men and women as they transition out of the military.” A veteran owned company, CPI has been putting veterans to work for more than 34 years. As CPI continues to grow as a result of their veteran certifications from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VOSB) and the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC), CPI plans to double in size within the next three years. Employing several hundred veterans a year, the goal is to increase that number by at least a third, by the end 2017. CPI actively works to access out-processing military personnel and veterans by conducting onsite and virtual recruitment programs through the Military’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP).
ABOUT CPI Contract Professionals, Inc. (CPI) was established in 1982. CPI is a privately held Michigan corporation headquartered in Waterford, Michigan with a branch offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and Green Bay, Wisconsin. CPI is certified by both the National Veteran Business Council (NVBDC) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VOSB) as veteran owned. Part of CPI’s mission is to put veterans to work. For more information please visit www.cpijobs.com. #CPIJobsInc
Brand design and website development firm Q LTD is honored to announce its involvement as design partner on The Kresge Foundation’s recently launched, redesigned website. The new Kresge site presents a bold, contemporary design that complements refreshed, simplified content, updated program and practice area descriptions, and new pages for grant opportunities. Additionally, the site is mobile-friendly and meets W3C accessibility guidelines. As project lead, Q designers and developers worked closely with the Kresge Communication team; information architect partners, The Understanding Group (TUG); and Drupal development and build team, Forum One. The 18-month-long project included stakeholder interviews and a design strategy that highlights Kresge’s work in cities and enhances communication and transparency with its grantees, partners, and the philanthropic community. “Kresge has been a catalyst for so much good in Detroit and communities across the US. We are very proud to provide ongoing design support to Kresge’s team and to have the opportunity to collaborate with our colleagues at TUG and Forum One,” said Christine Golus, Managing Director at Q. The Kresge Foundation is a $3.5 billion private, national foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities and Detroit through grantmaking and social investing. Q LTD is a full service design studio and marketing communications consultancy headquartered 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, web sites, and print collateral for clients throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Learn more at www.qltd.com.
Q LTD’s expertise includes corporate identity and logo design, web site design and development, strategic brand positioning, advertising, naming, environmental design, information architecture, and social media design and production. Q LTD is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and also has offices in California and Toronto. On international projects, Q LTD collaborates with its partner agency in Europe, Q GmbH (Germany). For more than 30 years Q has been committed to making the world a better place through creative excellence in design and communication. Learn more at www.qltd.com.
Priority Health didn’t need to look very far when naming the replacement for retiring CEO Mike Freed. Effective Jan. 1, Joan Budden, former chief marketing officer, will assume the role of president and CEO, announced Richard Breon, CEO of Spectrum Health, the parent organization of Priority also based in Grand Rapids.
Budden has been with Priority Health since 2009 after holding various executive positions at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. They included stints in the Blues’ individual consumer division, project management office and corporate strategy departments.
Freed, who had been with Spectrum for more than 20 years, announced his plans to retire in September. He replaced Kim Horn, who is now with Kaiser Permanente, in 2012.
“The future of the health care industry is based on increased competition, consumer choice, innovation and models of care that provide a higher level of quality at lower costs,” Breon said in a statement.
“Given Joan’s extensive experience in the health insurance industry and the results produced under her leadership as chief marketing officer, she is an outstanding choice to lead Priority Health in this new and ever-changing health care environment.”
Budden said she plans to continue Priority’s focus on improving the health of its members.
“We’ll continue to offer products and services that keep our members healthy and ensure they have access to high-quality, affordable care when needed,” said Budden in a statement
Budden has been involved with Priority Health’s individual, group commercial and government programs. She also led the development of Priority’s compliance with the Affordable Care Act, allowing it to be named the state’s first benchmark plan.
Budden holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from Wayne State University.
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.
Contact Us(248) 643-6590
Address: PO Box 99463Troy, MI 48099
Association Management provided by:Meeting Coordinators, Inc.