As Americans, our love affair with cars is legendary. As African Americans, our relationship with the auto industry is legacy. And as the North American International Auto Show, the greatest automotive show on earth, returns to the epicenter of the automotive manufacturing world, all eyes are focused on Detroit. The 2018 NAIAS will see more than 1,600 media representatives from around the world visit 31 automobile manufacturers who will show the crème de la crème in the realm of cars. No other event in North America provides an international platform for this vast array of companies, organizations and thought leaders under one roof. From the glitz and glamour of the prestigious Charity Preview Ball to the last day of the public event for car enthusiasts and potential buyers to sum up cutting edge vehicular design and engineering, visitors to the North American International Automotive show get an up-close and personal experience with the best the industry has to offer.
Three leading edge executives from Genesis Motor America, Volkswagen, and Ford Motor Company will serve as DRIVENExperience ambassadors for DRIVEN: A Tribute to Multicultural Achievement in the Automotive Industry. “Real Times Media is very pleased that these prominent industry leaders will grace our DRIVEN publication with their insight into where the industry is heading, and their personal experiences and successes,” said Hiram E. Jackson, chief executive officer, Real Times Media. “Each of these individuals is a shining representative of companies that value diversity and a multicultural workforce. Hyundai, Volkswagen and Ford Motor Company all have a commitment to diversity and when I look at the contributions of Raphael, Williams and Gayton, I know that these three companies are serious — not only about selling cars to a diverse audience, but promoting the best and brightest as well.”
Erwin Raphael is general manager at Genesis Motor America. Raphael is responsible for the entire manufacturing process and value stream with Genesis Motor, which builds the Hyundai brand. His role ranges from engineering and product development to manufacturing, materials and logistics, sales, marketing and corporate management. Raphael also has worked in the Toyota production system at Toyota Motor Manufacturing and as general manager with Chrysler at two plants — McGraw Glass and Jefferson North Assembly Plant where the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander SUVs are built. Machelle Williams is senior director of Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility for Volkswagen Group of America.
In this role, Williams’ primary focus is to create sustainable diversity and inclusion practices that will help VWGoA reach its goals of becoming both a top employer and one of the most admired automobile company in the world. Williams regularly works with community partners to help VWGoA be a viable part of the communities where the company conducts business, and also foster the growth and retention of a talented multicultural workforce. Williams has worked with Volkswagen for the past 14 years.
Brad Gayton is group vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Ford Motor Company. Gayton is responsible for leading Ford Motor Company’s litigation, tax, corporate, transactions, compliance and intellectual property efforts. He also advises the company’s board of directors and senior management on a wide range of legal issues and oversees its General Auditor’s Office. As chief administrative officer, his responsibility has expanded to include leading Ford Land and Corporate Services efforts.
Detroit remains synonymous with America’s car industry and since this world-class event takes place in the Motor City, the birthplace of the assembly line and the destination for hundreds of thousands of blacks during the Great Migration for good-paying jobs and the promise of better futures, it’s more than fitting that having arrived, black people have more of a stake in the well-being of the industry than any other ethnicity in the nation. These migrants were nothing short of driven. And to that end, the DRIVEN Experience Vlll, a hallmark event showcasing the accomplishments of African Americans in the automotive industry and highlighting diversity and inclusion, provides car buyers an extraordinary opportunity to express and influence the direction of the automotive industry going forward.
The DRIVEN Experience, a tribute to multicultural achievement in the automotive industry, includes a youth symposium focused on careers in the industry, and an unveiling/awards celebration, has become an annual destination for industry leaders from around the country visiting the North American International Auto Show. On Jan. 17, the Michigan Chronicle’s DRIVEN Experience Vlll will return to Detroit’s Garden Theatre to celebrate car companies and honor automotive experts for their accomplishments in creating and building an authentically inclusive environment that promotes a diverse workforce and more colorful C-Suites by insisting on: (1) recruiting that is more thoughtfully focused on identifying candidates using broader and more comprehensive indicators of success, and (2) zealously opening entry to the plants for the rank and file worker and throwing open the doors to the boardroom for qualified professionals of color. How does DRIVEN accomplish these ambitious objectives? By educating the world of NAIAS participants and purveyors on the unique journey to build character and enhance leadership and technical skills. In short, the DRIVEN honorees put their intellectual and fi-nancial resources where it counts.
The 2018 DRIVEN VIII awardees include: UAW-Ford Vice president Jimmy Settles will receive a special tribute for five decades of dedicated service to the industry and Detroit.Roy S. Roberts, retired vice president and corporate officer in charge of personnel development and development at General Motors Corp., is the deserving recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.Michelle Sourie Robinson, president and CEO of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, has earned the coveted Vanguard Award.Piston Group, headed by be-loved founder, chairman and CEO Vinnie Johnson, will be recognized as Minority Company of the Year.Toyota Motor Corporation Company will be recognized as Company of the Year, and UHY LLP Certified Public Accountants will be honored with the DRIVEN Advocate Award.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of unparalleled technology, autonomous cars and green technology, what really matters to the African-American consumer and buyers is that car manufacturers cut through marketing claims and technobabble to determine what really matters to car buyers. DRIVEN VIII is the premier platform for forwarding the agenda of African Americans in the automotive space and promote profession-al pursuits while providing quality driving experiences for the black car buyer. The DRIVEN Experience, a tribute to multicultural achievement in the automotive industry, along with the popular youth symposium, culminates with an unveiling and awards celebration Jan. 17 at the Garden Theater in Midtown Detroit.
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