IABC/Detroit Recognizes Jason Vines as 2005 Communicator of the Year

DETROIT, June 16 -- IABC/Detroit recently awarded Jason Vines, vice president - Chrysler Group Communications, as the Communicator of the Year. This is the 17th year the IABC/Detroit has recognized a communications professional for outstanding contributions to business communication through the practice and encouragement of professionalism and integrity in communications excellence. The award was presented at the organization's 24th annual Renaissance Awards program.

During his acceptance speech, Vines spoke about the value that communicators add to an organization, including serving as a social conscience and ensuring that clear, credible communications provide a firm foundation upon which a company's reputation is built. "While this Communicator of the Year is an individual award, it's all about being a team," said Vines.

"Jason Vines exemplifies the very best in a professional communicator," says Theodore G. Coutilish, 2005-2006 IABC/Detroit President. "His honest, open approach gets positive results from the media and his team. His integrity is impeccable and his credibility outstanding."

Vines first joined Chrysler in 1983, specializing in labor economics and collective bargaining. In 1989, he joined the Chrysler public relations staff and held a series of product, marketing, safety, environmental, advanced technology and international public relations positions. Today, Vines is responsible for the Chrysler Group's corporate and product communications worldwide, as well as internal communications.

Since rejoining Chrysler in December 2003, Vines accomplishments have included:

* Keeping the company's hot new products in the spotlight with out-of-the -box media/consumer events, leading to sales success that propelled the Chrysler Group to a profitable and successful year by all measures.

* Media analysis shows that the Chrysler Group dominated media coverage of the 2005 North American International Auto Show, earning an unprecedented 50 percent of the print and broadcast coverage -- all of it positive.

* The employee satisfaction (morale) score for Vines' Communications Department jumped 18 points in the Chrysler's Group's annual survey -- higher than any other department.

Prior to returning to Chrysler, Vines served as partner and managing director of the Detroit office of Strat@comm, a leading Washington-based public affairs firm. He has also held the position of vice president communications for Ford Motor Company where he led the external and internal communications for Ford and its Premier Automotive Group brands worldwide.

IABC/Detroit, one of the largest chapters of the 13,000 member International Association of Business Communicators, connects more than 250 professional communicators to the people, resources and knowledge necessary to advance their communication careers. The chapter, which includes members in Michigan, Ohio and Canada, holds monthly professional development programs; sponsors workshops; offers job referral services, informative publications, award programs, accreditation programs, and the opportunity to meet and network with other communicators. For information on membership, visit http://www.iabc.com/ . Additional information on the chapter and its free electronic job referral service for employers is available at http://www.iabcdetroit.com/ or by calling IABC/Detroit's Executive Secretary Nancy Skidmore at 248-546-5490.

IABC/Detroit: Where Communicators Connect