A Stroke of Genius: MVP Collaborative, LLC Hires Event Marketing Guru Lou Bitonti as Chief Operating Officer

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich., June 20 -- MVP Collaborative, LLC has added another creative visionary to its team. Company President Roger Gullickson recently announced that MVP Collaborative has hired Lou Bitonti as the chief operating officer (COO) for the strategic communications company that creates "branded experiences" and "branded entertainment."

Within the newly created position of COO at MVP Collaborative, Bitonti will focus on enhancing MVP's growth strategies and execution, as well as increasing public awareness of the award-winning company.

"With his vigor, creativity and deep personal values, we feel that Lou is the right leader to take MVP Collaborative to the next level of growth," Gullickson said. "His passion and rich experience will be a nice compliment to our already diverse internal culture."

Bitonti brings more than 25 years of advertising and marketing experience to Madison Heights, Mich.-based, MVP Collaborative. In September of 2006, he retired as the senior manager, Jeep(R) Advertising for DaimlerChrysler Corporation, a position in which he developed national advertising activities for the Jeep brand and was also responsible for the company's diversity event marketing and advertising initiatives.

During his tenure with DaimlerChrysler, Bitonti was the driving force behind several award-winning marketing programs for the Dodge(R), Chrysler(R) and Jeep brands that have set automotive industry standards and garnered national and international recognition. The most distinguished of these programs is "Camp Jeep," a three-day, family-oriented ownership gathering that was voted "Best Owner Loyalty Event in the World" by PROMO magazine.

Other renowned, award-winning programs under Bitonti's direction, include "The Chrysler Art of Driving" ride and drive, "Jeep King of the Mountain" sports telecast, "PT Cruiser Block Party" ride and drive, "Plymouth / Muppets Traffic Safety Tour," "Dodge City" ride and drive and "Route" 2002 - 2004, which was the largest automotive ride and drive event in the country during its three-year run.

Bitonti is the author of a book titled, "The Cosmic Spider Web: How to Capture Any Customer through Event Marketing," and frequently speaks at universities, business conferences, radio stations and talk-shows around the country about his experience. A visionary in the event marketing industry, he was named one of Event Marketer magazine's "Event Marketing Superstars" and in 2003 was honored by the magazine as a member of the "Event Marketing Dream Team."

Previously, Bitonti served as an account supervisor for Burton and Grey Advertising in Chicago and Detroit, where he created marketing programs for companies including Heilemann Brewing, Ford Motor Co., Cadillac Dealers Group, McDonald's Corp., Bonanza Restaurants, The Detroit Free Press, City National Bank and Real Estate One.

MVP Collaborative is a strategic communications company based in Madison Heights, Mich. that creates and executes "branded experiences" and "branded entertainment" that produce measurable results for its clients. Named as one of Event Marketer's Top 100 event agencies worldwide for two consecutive years, MVP Collaborative utilizes distinctive methods to transform traditional events (such as product launches, press events, marketing programs, meetings, trade shows, educational seminars, and ride and drives) into unforgettable branded experiences for participants.

Using emotion, a unique internal culture, instinct and talent, MVP Collaborative has translated marketing objectives into behavior-altering events for a variety of industries and organizations, including Fortune 500 companies.

For more information, visit www.mvpcollaborative.com.