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Harman International Tabs Industry Veteran to Lead Automotive Sales And Marketing Efforts

14 July 1997

Harman International Tabs Industry Veteran to Lead Automotive Sales And Marketing Efforts

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 14 -- Charles J. Chapman has been
named executive vice president of sales and marketing for Harman International
-- OEM Group.  Chapman brings 29 years of automotive industry experience to
Harman where he will be responsible for expanding the company's OEM business.
He will work out of the company's Southfield, Mich., automotive sales office.
    Harman, whose OEM automotive business is based in Martinsville, Ind.,
designs and manufactures high-performance audio systems for vehicle
manufacturers throughout the world.  The company manufactures and distributes
products under several brands -- JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon and Becker.
    Prior to joining Harman, Chapman spent five years as senior vice president
at A.0. Smith Automotive Products Company.  Under his direction, the company's
business grew from $500 million to $900 million in annual sales, and
sales/engineering offices were opened in Japan and Europe.
    Chapman's career in the automotive industry began in 1968 as an
engineering co-op student with Ford Motor Company.  After graduating from the
University of Iowa, he joined Ford in manufacturing operations and worked his
way up to production superintendent for the Michigan Truck Assembly Plant.
    He left Ford to take a position in OEM sales and marketing with Atwood
Automotive, and six years later was named vice president of marketing and
engineering at ITT Automotive's Hancock division.
    Next, he was named president and COO of Regal Stamping Company.  When the
company was divested, Chapman joined TRW's Automotive Airbag Division as
director of international sales and marketing.  At TRW, he helped grow TRW's
annual airbag sales from $5 million to more than $100 million in less than two
years, before being recruited by A.O. Smith as senior vice president of its
automotive operations.

SOURCE  Harman International