GM Design Wins 'Cool Places to Work' Award

WARREN, MI--Sept. 6, 2011: GMDesign, the industry's first and largest global automotive design function, is among Crain's 2011 "Cool Places to Work" winners for their ability to communicate with employees, attract and retain talent and create a positive work environment, among other factors.

"Our commitment is to create an environment that empowers its people and provides the technology and tools they long to work with and places a premium on creativity and passion," said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of Global Design. "It's a privilege for me to work with the talented team of designers, sculptors, engineers, skilled trades, imaging and business personnel that make the GM Design Center an award-winning place to work."

The annual award honors Michigan companies with offices in the Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw and Livingston counties in a two-phase evaluation process. The first phase reviews online nominations submitted by non-executive employees; the second phase is a qualitative survey focusing on promotions, hiring practices, compensation, benefits and more.

"Our employees also appreciate GM's rich design heritage and the historical significance of the Technical Center campus," said Welburn. "It's pretty cool to have a front-row seat to the company's future as well as access to a past so rich with iconic brands and buildings recognized on the National Register of Historic Places and 'Most Outstanding Architectural Achievements of its Era' by the American Institute of Architects."

A team of Crain's editors, reporters and representatives from the American Society of Employers evaluated hundreds of candidate companies to choose the winners. Formal honors will be given at Crain's award event Nov. 10.

To view a short video highlighting the people, products and places that make GM Design Center a very cool place to work, visit GM Careers homepage and click on the GM Design feature photo or GM Design Education Facebook .

About GM Design

General Motors Design is the first and largest global automotive OEM design function with a network of nine Design Centers in seven countries around the world. More than 1,800 men and women are responsible for the design development of every GM concept and production car and truck globally. The Design Centers are located in the United States, Germany, Korea, China, Australia, Brazil and India. GM Design is led by Ed Welburn, Vice President, Global Design. Welburn is only the sixth Design leader in GM history, and the first to lead all of the company's Global Design Centers.