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African Americans On Wheels Mag Names Annual Urban Wheel Awards Nominees

29 December 2000

Fifth Annual Urban Wheel Awards Recognizes trailblazers in the industry

    DETROIT - African Americans On Wheels magazine will name its Fifth Annual 
Urban Wheel Award winners and present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Roy 
Roberts, retired General Motors, Group Vice President, at an invitation-only 
reception Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, 6 p.m., at the Charles H. Wright Museum of 
African American History in Detroit.  The awards ceremony is held in conjunction 
with the opening of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at 
Detroit's Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center.

    Master of Ceremonies for the 2001 awards reception is Gerald Smith,
director of government relations, Comcast Cablevision of Detroit.  Smith is
best known for his role as co-host on "Back-To-Back", the Emmy-nominated metro
Detroit call-in TV/Radio talk show on Channel 56 - Detroit Public Television
and WQBH-1400.  Smith also hosted the first Urban Wheel Awards in 1996.

    "The Urban Wheel Awards is a way to recognize contribution of African
Americans in the auto industry and the diversity efforts of auto companies
this past year," says Randi Payton, president and chief executive officer, On
Wheels, Inc. and publisher of African American On Wheels.
    Among the 2001 Urban Wheel Awards are:

    Executive of the Year, for excellence in leadership -- Nominees include
Charles H. Brown, vice president, accounting and finance, Toyota Motor
Manufacturing, North America; David Burnley, chief executive officer, Devon
Industrial Group and Tri-Tec, LLC; Elliott Hall, vice president, Dealer
Development, Ford Motor Company; Rodney O'Neal, executive vice president,
Delphi Automotive Systems; William F. Pickard, chairman and chief executive
officer, Global Automotive Alliance; Roderick Rickman, president and chief
executive officer, MPS Group, Inc.; and Sheila Vaden-Williams, president,
National Association of Minority Auto Dealers.

    Woman of the Year, for pioneering woman in the industry -- Debra Nelson,
senior manager, Group Marketing Diversity and Regional Communications,
DaimlerChrysler; Veronica Pollard, vice president, External Affairs, Toyota
Motor North America; and Sheila Vaden-Williams, president, National
Association of Minority Auto Dealers.

    Minority Supplier of The Year, for quality achievement in the auto
industry by a minority owned company -- Florida Production Engineering; MPS
Group, Inc.; Paper Plas, Inc.; Regal Plastics Company; and Tri-Tec, LLC.

    Vehicle of the Year, for exceptional value, utility and performance for
urban motorists.  Vehicle of the Year is selected based on a rating system, by
an independent panel of automotive journalists.

    Company of the Year, for achievements in diversity, employment, marketing,
community service, supplier and dealer relations -- Nominees include:
DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, and Mercedes-
Benz.

    Award winners are selected by a panel of automotive journalists including:
Brian Armstead, Freelance Journalist; Lyndon C. Bell, California-based
independent auto writer; Warren Brown, Washington Post; Ken Chester, Motor
News Media, Winfred Cross, North Carolina-based auto writer; Earle Eldridge,
USA Today; Kathy Jackson, Automotive Marketer; Frank Washington, Detroit-based
auto writer; and Blair Walker, Baltimore-based auto writer.

    Corporate sponsors include: Audi of America, BMW of North America, Inc.,
Comerica Bank, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Detroit Newspapers, DTE Energy,
EDS, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, Global Automotive
Alliance, LLC, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, American Honda Motor
Company, Hyundai Motor America, Jaguar Cars North America, Mercedes-Benz USA,
LLC, The Michigan Chronicle, Michigan FrontPage, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of
America, Inc., MPS, Nissan North America, Inc., The Prudential Insurance
Company of America, Sister 2 Sister magazine, Subaru of America, Inc., Toyota,
Tri-Tec, LLC, Upscale magazine, Volkswagen of America, Inc., and Volvo Cars of
North America, Inc.

    African Americans on Wheels, a bi-monthly auto magazine aimed at African
American car enthusiasts, is a supplement to black newspapers across the
country and zoned editions of The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and The
Washington Post.