Finalists Announced for the 2007 Urban Wheel Awards
Star-studded Event to Honor Diversity in the Auto Industry
DETROIT, Dec. 11 -- An independent panel of automotive journalists have announced finalists for the 2007 Urban Wheel Awards. Winners will be honored at the 11th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, which will be held at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on January 9, 2007, in conjunction with Press Week of the North American International Auto Show.
Now in its 11th year, the multicultural event is known as the "Academy Awards" of the auto industry, a time when celebrities are the ones presenting awards to automotive manufacturers, executives, suppliers, advertising agencies and motorsports organizations who have contributed to diversity in the industry.
The winner of the Best Automotive Diversity advertisement for 2006 will also be announced. The Diversity Automotive Advertisement of the Year Award is given to an advertising agency that produces the most popular print ads geared to African-American, Latino and Asian markets. It is voted on by the general public, who decide on the winners in each category. Consumers are encouraged to log on to the On Wheels website at http://www.onwheelsinc.com/ and 15 other websites to select their favorite ads.
"The Urban Wheel Awards honors the pioneering automotive industry leaders who transcend the mainstream and embrace diversity to create products and services that appeal to a larger customer base," said Randi Payton, President & CEO of On Wheels, Inc. which founded the awards.
A special Life Time Achievement Award will also be given to Deborah Coleman Young, who rose from a working class family in St. Louis, attending public schools, to make history as the first woman at Ford to run a vehicle assembly plant. Coleman served as president, CEO and chief operating officer of AutoAlliance International, a manufacturing venture owned by Ford and Mazda Motor Corp. She was also the first woman and the first African-American to lead a South African firm when she was named CEO and group managing director of Ford Motor Co. of Southern Africa.
Finalists are named based on the tally of votes by the panel of judges, from more than 15 multicultural, automotive trade, and general market media.
Finalists Are: African American Executive of the Year William Perkins, President Bill Perkins Automotive Group Don E. Goodwin Vice President Scientific Labs and Proving Grounds DaimlerChrysler Joe W. Laymon Group Vice President Corporate Human Resources & Labor Affairs Ford Motor Company Asian Executive of the Year Joe Chao Vice President Advanced Manufacturing Engineering DaimlerChrysler Mei-Wei Cheng Vice President - Ford Motor Company Chairman & CEO Ford Motor (China), Ltd. Devinder Bains, President Taft Chevrolet Latino Executive of the Year Stephanie Valdez-Streaty Sr. Manager Diversity & Philanthropy Nissan North America Marcos S. DeOliveira Executive Director Product Development Ford Motor Company Manuel Gonzalez, President Sterling Auto Group Supplier of the Year New Technology Steel James Group International Corp. The Bartech Group Company of the Year DaimlerChrysler Ford Motor Company General Motors Car of the Year BMW 3-Series Coupe Honda Fit Hyundai Elantra Truck of the Year Acura RDX Chevy Silverado Ford Edge Diversity in Motor Sports Finalists National Hot Rod Association Urban Youth Racing School
For more information about the 11th Annual Urban Wheel Awards, to obtain tickets, or to sponsor the event, visit http://www.onwheelsinc.com/ , or call (313) 963-2209.
Detroit-based On Wheels, Inc., is a multicultural, multi-media company that publishes African-Americans On Wheels, Latinos On Wheels, and Asians On Wheels magazines, which are distributed in more than 100 newspapers throughout the United States and have a combined readership of 5 million. Additionally, On Wheels founded the Edward Davis Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to students pursuing secondary degrees in the automotive industry.