Driving Your Communications
AutoCom Associates provides public relations services and counsel on a global basis to businesses in automotive, transportation and high technology
AutoCom Associates provides public relations services and counsel on a global basis to automotive and high-technology businesses.
Headquartered in Michigan, AutoCom's team of professional communicators has extensive experience working with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, as well as several European, Japanese and Korean automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. The agency’s principals have considerable international expertise, including work in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.
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74 West Long Lake Road
Suite 201
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-2770
January 11, 2012
EB and INRIX Show Street Smart Automotive Technology at CES
LAS VEGAS, EB (Elektrobit), a leading developer of cutting-edge embedded tech-nology solutions for the automotive and wireless industries, is developing next-generation navigation systems with a variety of new driver-assistance features.
Phone:
+1.248.647.8621
Fax:
+1.248.642.2110
Contact us by e-mail
EB CES Release_final_JAN_10version _2_.pdf
January 4, 2012
INDIA CONTINUES TO BE A KEY GROWTH MARKET FOR GKN DRIVELINE
NEW DELHI- GKN Driveline, a leading and long-term supplier of automotive driveline components and systems in India contiunes to grow at a rapid pace.
India Continues to be a Key Growth Market for GKN Driveline~4.Jan.pdf
December 6, 2011
Auto Library Friends Pick Chevrolet Volt As 2011's 'Collectible Car of the Future'
DETROIT - From America's new cars and trucks launched in 2011, the Chevrolet Volt will become the most
desired by future car collectors. That is the prediction of the Friends of the National Automotive History Collection (NAHC).
2011 National Automotive History Collection.pdf
November 29, 2011
HELLA LIGHTING FEATURED ON NEW 2012 VOLKSWAGEN FROM PUEBLA
MEXICO CITY, Nov. 29, 2011 The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle assembled in Puebla, Mexico, features front and rear exterior lighting from Hella.
Hella Lighting Featured on New 2012 Volkswagen from Pueblaâ¦.pdf
October 2011.pdf
November 22, 2011
HELLA ELECTRONICS CONTINUES RAPID GROWTH IN MEXICO
SAN JOSE ITURBIDE, Mexico – Hella has increased the production capacity of its San Jose Iturbide electronics plant this year with a 50,000-square-foot facility expansion.
Hella Electronics Earns Greater Growth in Mexico~14.Nov.20â¦.pdf
"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."
~Andrew Carnegie
November 21, 2011
GKN DRIVELINE SEES CONTINUED GROWTH IN MEXICO
CELAYA, GUANAJUATO, Mexico, 17th November 2011 – GKN Driveline expects to continue to grow its Mexican operations at a double-digit rate through to 2015.
GKN DRIVELINE SEES CONTINUED GROWTH IN MEXICO.pdf
November 17, 2011
ALVAREZ NAMED BUSINESS MANAGER FOR GAGE PRODUCTS IN MEXICO
CHAPULTEPEC, Mexico– Celia Alvarez has been named business development manager for Gage Products Company’s operations in Mexico.
Alvarez Gage~7.Nov.2011.pdf
AutoCom Associates provides creative, cost-effective public relations programs and counsel for automotive and high-technology businesses throughout the world.
AutoCom's core operating principles include a dedication to:
AutoCom’s automotive clients include major global suppliers of systems and components to vehicle manufacturers.
The award-winning firm’s field of practice also includes motorsports, education, print and broadcast media, non-profit organizations and Internet-related enterprises.
A key to AutoCom's success is our ability to build a rapport between our clients and journalists. To do this, we provide our clients with creative, cost-effective public relations programs.
Many of these programs have been recognized with awards from major professional organizations and business publications.
Our company strictly adheres to the professional standards and values of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). These values guide our behavior and are vital to the success of our client service.
Honesty
We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.
Loyalty
We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public.
Fairness
We deal professionally and fairly with our clients, employees, competitors, peers, vendors, the news media and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.
Independence
We provide objective counsel to those we represent. We are accountable for our actions.
Advocacy
We serve the public by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts and viewpoints in order to promote informed public debate.
Expertise
We acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience. We serve our clients and the profession through continued development, research and education. We build mutual understanding, credibility and relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.
AutoCom’s commitment to client service is one of the things that sets us apart. The services we provide include:
AutoCom "Tech Crawl"
AutoCom Associates' award-winning Tech Crawl program brings together AutoCom clients and automotive journalists for technology presentations and visits to client facilities.
Because automotive manufacturers are turning to suppliers for help with product development, the media has become more interested in supplier-driven technology. Tech Crawl offers AutoCom clients an efficient, cost-effective way to interact with journalists.
In 2010, more than 40 reporters from the area's top trade, daily and Internet publications took part in two half-day Tech Crawl programs.
The program has won numerous national and local awards for communication excellence, including a platinum award in the international MarCom Creative Awards and the Automotive Public Relations Council (APRC) Gold Award of Excellence.
Automotive Management Briefing Seminars
AutoCom represents a number of automotive and high-tech clients who attend the annual Automotive Management Briefing Seminars by the Center for Automotive Research in Traverse City, Michigan.
To help generate media exposure and leverage client participation at the conference, AutoCom created a special program that includes a client hospitality suite, nightly VIP events for media, radio interviews for select clients on national networks and major stations and news release packages to place stories in key publications during and after the conference.
An added feature, "Cooking with Jean-Pierre," is an entertaining event that brings together spouses, clients, guests and media with Jean-Pierre Vasaune, director of business development for North America for the Office for Foreign Investors of Belgium's Wallonia region.
International Client Programs and Events
The agency also has conducted highly successful media tours of client manufacturing operations and product development centers in Germany and India. A major tour of client facilities in Mexico is planned for 2011.
AutoCom coordinates and manages a number of client programs in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, including press conferences and media dinners in conjunction with the Beijing, Frankfurt, Geneva, New Delhi, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo auto shows.
The agency's staff is conversant in a number of languages and its internship programs provide opportunities for students from Europe, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
NAIAS Charity Night Preview/Client Dinner
Several years ago, a number of AutoCom clients expressed interest in obtaining tickets, transportation and restaurant reservations for the annual Charity Night Preview at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).
The agency responded by developing an "all-inclusive" business-social solution. AutoCom clients, their spouses and customers attend a special program that includes paid-valet parking, a cocktail reception and dinner at an exclusive restaurant.
The program includes tickets for the Charity Night Preview and a client-customer dinner. The event also provides AutoCom clients with unique opportunities for business networking.
"As part of our mission to bring together clients and journalists, AutoCom Associates has created several special events. Our award-winning Tech Crawl program, for example, has successfully helped clients develop additional visibility and gain media contacts."
- Larry Weis, AutoCom President and CEO
Larry Weis is the president and chief executive officer of AutoCom Associates.
Prior to forming AutoCom in 1995, Weis served as director of communications for the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), an organization established by Chrysler, Ford and General Motors in 1993 to foster joint high-technology research among the three auto companies and their suppliers. A former business columnist with more than 30 years of experience in automotive and high-tech communications, Weis was public affairs manager for Ford Motor Company’s Ford Division — the auto industry’s largest marketing division.
During his career at Ford, Weis also served as public relations manager at Ford Truck Operations and held similar positions at Ford Diversified Product Operations (now Visteon) and the company’s former agricultural and industrial equipment business (Ford Tractor Operations). Prior to leaving Ford, he helped coordinate the development of Internet and new media communications strategies.
A former director of the Public Relations Society of America’s Detroit Chapter, Weis helped to find PRSA’s Cyberforum in 1994 to provide Internet and high-technology training for area public relations professionals.
A native of St. Louis, MO, Weis was a business columnist with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. He also served for two years as an agricultural advisor assigned to the U.S. Peace Corps in Venezuela.
Active in a variety of trade and community organizations, he is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), a member of PRSA’s Counselors Academy, a founding member and officer of PRSA’s Automotive Council and a member of PRSA’s National Technology Section.
Weis is also a member of the Automotive Public Relations Council (APRC), the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), the Automotive Press Association (APA) and the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). In addition, he serves as an advisor to a number of charitable and cultural organizations in Southeastern Michigan and is a recipient of PRSA’s “Silver Anvil” Award, five National Agricultural Marketing Association publicity program awards and PRSA-Detroit Chapter “Citation” and “President’s Commendation” awards.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in pre-legal studies from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in English from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Martin J. Habalewsky is a vice president and senior account executive at AutoCom Associates.
He directs the agency's new business development, customer satisfaction programs and media distribution services, in addition to his responsibilities as an account manager.
Prior to joining AutoCom Associates, Habalewsky was a senior executive at Detroit's two largest public relations firms and a regional marketing manager for PR Newswire and Business Wire, the two leading global commercial newswire services.
He also has worked as a public relations account executive at BBDO Detroit, dedicated to Dodge and Chrysler programs.
Habalewsky's other previous automotive clients include Mazda, Kelsey-Hayes Group (now TRW Automotive), FANUC Robotics North America, Dupont Automotive, Hayes Lemmerz, BASF Corp., Ziebart Corp. and SAE International.
His automotive media clients have included Automotive News and Motor Trend magazine. He managed the Motor Trend “Car of the Year” public relations, as well as similar activities for the magazine's “Truck of the Year” and the former “Import Car of the Year” programs.
Habalewsky's areas of expertise include strategic communications, media and financial relations, product and services marketing communications, media interview training, community relations and crisis management.
Accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America, he is a past board member of that organization's Detroit Chapter. Habalewsky is a past president of the Detroit Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and a past board member of the National Investor Relations Institute's Michigan Chapter. He also is a member of the Automotive Press Association.
Named the first "Communicator of the Year" by IABC's Detroit Chapter, Habalewsky was also awarded a "Key to the City of Detroit" for his volunteer contributions to the Accounting Aid Society of Detroit. A guest lecturer at no fewer than six of Michigan's leading universities, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Detroit (now the University of Detroit Mercy).
Habalewsky lives in Warren, Michigan.
Craig Miner has more than 25 years of public relations, marketing communications and event-management experience, providing senior-level communications counsel in communications, as well as in event and sports marketing.
Miner’s multi-industry communications background includes extensive experience in both corporate and agency settings within a variety of industries such as: automotive and automotive supply; international construction and real estate development; tooling; aerospace; trade show and event marketing; metal casting, and commercial lighting.
Prior to joining AutoCom, he was an agency account director responsible for work with clients such as Toyota Motor Sales, Continental Automotive Systems, Intermet Corporation and H.B. Stubbs Companies.
He previously served as manager of communications at BBDO Detroit, where he managed communications activities and served as the company public relations liaison to Chrysler -- the world’s single largest advertising account.
Before joining BBDO, he held a variety of management positions within Visteon’s corporate communications department, including associate director -- Visteon corporate communications. His responsibilities included the management of all communications activities in North and South America and Asia for manufacturing, legal, IT, aftermarket, glass and motor sports divisions.
Miner also served with Textron Automotive Company for five years as director of communications with responsibility for internal communications, media relations, trade show management and customer event marketing, as well as advertising, sales promotion and government-and-community relations.
He began his career at Perini Corporation, a $4 billion publicly-traded international construction management and real estate development company. Located in suburban Boston, he served in a variety of communications positions before being promoted to director -- Corporate Relations.
Reporting directly to Perini’s chairman and CEO, he was accountable for the supervision of all public, media, investor, employee and community relations. Acting as the chief spokesman for the company, he also handled all aspects of the company’s board of directors meetings and annual stockholder meetings.
Miner is a graduate of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., with a bachelor’s degree in advertising.
Jack Harned, APR, senior partner at AutoCom Associates, was formerly responsible for strategic communications for top management at General Motors.
During his 35-year career at GM, he also directed GM’s international public relations programs based in Detroit and European public relations based in London and Brussels.
He previously managed GM’s news media relations in Detroit for automotive and environmental matters and in Washington, D.C. for corporate and regulatory issues.
He also was corporate communications director for GM Hughes Electronics Corporation and PR director for GM’s former AC Electronics Division which included work on NASA’s Apollo program.
Prior to his GM career, Harned was a newspaper reporter in Madison, Wisconsin, and press secretary to U.S. Senator William Proxmire in Washington, D.C.
Harned is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and was inducted into its Detroit chapter Hall of Fame in 2009.
He also serves on boards of the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Automotive History Collection and the Detroit Association of Phi Beta Kappa.
He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and lives with his wife in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Kenneth A. "Ken" Levy is a senior partner at AutoCom Associates.
Based in New York, he assists in the development of AutoCom's international automotive business and supports client programs in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Levy's public relations background also includes international management experience at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, former North American operations. Fluent in German and able to converse in Italian, he began his career with Ford in 1977 as foreign press and information manager for Ford-Werke AG in Cologne, Germany.
He later joined GM as manager of European passenger-car press relations for Adam Opel AG in Ruesselsheim, Germany and in 1986 was appointed director of news relations for General Motors Europe with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Levy went on to serve as GM's executive director of International Operations and Media Relations with responsibility for public affairs activities in Europe, as well as Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
He joined Chrysler in 2000 at the company's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., as the Chrysler Group vice president responsible for all of Chrysler's internal, external and product communications. He left Chrysler at the end of 2003 to open a public relations consultancy in New York.
A native of New York City, Levy holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kerry Hokett is media relations manager at AutoCom Associates. She also assists AutoCom’s clients with account management, editorial services, event planning and media relations.
Hokett graduated from Michigan State University in August 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
She lives in Novi, Michigan.
Tedi Falvo is the events manager at AutoCom Associates. She also is responsible for the management of a number of key accounts, event planning, editorial services and media relations.
Falvo plans and implements a number of the agency’s successful major programs, including Tech Crawl; international auto-show media dinners in Paris, Frankfurt and Beijing; client programs at CAR’s Automotive Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich., and various events in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show and SAE World Congress.
Falvo attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette and holds bachelor’s degrees in both public relations and sociology. She resides in White Lake, Michigan.
Daryn Awde is an account assistant at AutoCom Associates.
Awde supports AutoCom clients with international event planning, editorial services and media-relations. A native of Canada, he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada. He currently lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Kiril Kasjanov is an account assistant at AutoCom Associates.
Kasjanov supports AutoCom clients with international event planning, editorial services and media-relations. A native of Lithuania, he is pursuing a master’s degree in mass communication studies at Johannes-Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. He currently lives in Royal Oak, Michigan.
Headquartered in Michigan, AutoCom's team of professional communicators has extensive experience working with Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, as well as many European, Japanese and Korean automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. The agency’s principals also have considerable international expertise, including work in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
Experience and Pay
AutoCom looks for interns with diverse backgrounds who can provide public relations support to a range of clients in the automotive and high-tech fields. We offer a monthly stipend or living allowance for international students working in our Metro Detroit office.
The program enables students to:
Develop effective public relations writing tools including:
Assist in planning special events such as:
Learn to:
If you consider yourself an energetic, motivated and flexible team player who wants to work and learn, please send us your resume.
For more information, visit our internship blog at www.autocominterns.blogspot.com
Send your resume by e-mail to
AutoCom prides itself on providing complete, effective and professional public relations programs for our clients. We always look for fresh talent to add to our extraordinary team.
The successful applicant will be an enthusiastic, creative individual with a professional committment and strong communication skills.
To e-mail us your resume, contact
We are an equal opportunity employer
Respect for Individuals
AutoCom prides itself on providing complete, effective and professional public relations programs for our clients.
Dedication to Helping Clients
We truly care for each client. We build enduring relationships by understanding and anticipating our clients' needs. AutoCom clients can count on us to consistently deliver superior services that help them achieve their business goals.
Highest Standards of Integrity
We are honest and ethical in all of our business dealings, starting with how we treat each other. We keep promises and admit our mistakes. Our personal conduct ensures that AutoCom’s name is always worthy of trust.
Teamwork
We encourage and reward both individual and team achievements. We freely join with colleagues across organizational boundaries to advance the interests of clients. Our team spirit extends to being responsible and caring partners in the communities where we work and live. By living these values, AutoCom and its team members will achieve a standard of excellence worldwide that reflects well on our clients.
©2009-2011 AutoCom Associates All rights protected.
