Detroit Chassis Celebrates 20 Years with Stakeholders
DCP ASSOCIATES CELEBRATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Detroit Chassis LLC celebrated 20 years in business with a formal program on Friday, December 13, 2019, featuring VIP guests and a delicious luncheon. The company also celebrated 32 associates who achieved 20-year work anniversaries, along with culmination of the 2019 model year, launching of the 2020 model year, and the Christmas holiday! Detroit Chassis is proud to be an automotive manufacturing partner of Ford Motor Company, through production of the Ford F-53 motorhome chassis and the F-59 step van stripped chassis.
Michael and Carlton Guthrie, Co-Chairmen shared their personal mission statements and spoke about the journey and Detroit Chassis’ future in manufacturing with optimism. Thank you to everyone who attended. We realize that there are many demands on your time, but you prioritized your schedule so that you could be at Detroit Chassis for this momentous event.
20 YEAR CELEBRATION
The following Associates were recognized for the milestone achievement of 20 years of service:
- Victor Johnson
- Reginald Debold
- Gregory Scott
- Will Bass
- Ronnie Alexander
- Pete Vasquez
- Rozita Stewart
- Jeffrey McCoy
- Winston Dennis
- Brandon Johnson
- Deirdre Dudley
- Cynthia Sanders
- Karana Harrell
- Deborah Jones
- Michael Smith
- Tamara Johnson
- Sharon Humphrey
- Gregory Miller
- Odell Vaughn
- Chuck Watts
- Janice Johnson
- Willie Harris
- Frank Thrasher III
- Betty Jones
- Prozo Green
- Leonard Sanders
- Debbie Morris
- Linda Casaigne
- Juliette Grifn-Tyus
- Brenda Trice
- Avis Wallace
- LaShandra Williams
Guests in attendance from Ford Motor Company were:
- Gary Johnson, Chief Manufacturing and Labor Affairs Ofcer
- Steve Pintar, VLD C Segment Vehicles, NA LVEA Segment, PDC
- Tim Young, Director of Manufacturing
- John Scholtes, Chief Engineer Commercial Vehicles (retiring)
- Michael Pruitt, Chief Engineer Commercial Vehicles
- Fred Hallway, Commercial Vehicle Program Manager
- Mike Shashlo, Forward Model Optimization GVP,
- Manufacturing and Labor Affairs
- Prashant Javkar, Manufacturing Business Manager
Emcee Anthony Neely, CEO of Neely Media Group, shared his early experience of meeting the Guthries in the 1990s. Tim Young from Ford provided uplifting comments, and John Scholtes noted that the Detroit Chassis team makes an amazing chassis. John noted that the event would be his last ofcial meeting at Detroit Chassis, due to his retirement on December 23, 2019, after 36 years. John has worked closely with us for several years to deliver the best engineered and best built product on the market. We wish you well in retirement. John indicated that Michael Pruitt will succeed him as Chief Engineer. Michael was introduced and waved to everyone. We look forward to his support and leadership as we move into 2020 and beyond.
John Ritchie, Chassis Control Manager, Thor Motorized Vehicles, requested an opportunity to participate and was a welcomed representative of motorhome body manufacturers. In his statements, John shared positive sentiments about Detroit Chassis, based on his experience as a 20-year customer and purchaser of the F-53 chassis.
Other guests included Aubrey Lee and Julius Readus of Merrill Lynch, Stephanie Fries of the Michigan Economic Growth Corporation, Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges, Executive VP, and Lauren Strickland, Business Retention Manager of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Duana King, President, and William Verdier, Jr. Financial Secretary and International Servicing Representative of UAW Local 155, Pastor Shelby Hunter, Kingdom on Earth Ministries, Pastor Lance Pittman and Lance Pittman II, First Praise Pentecostal Church, Ed Prentice, CEO of YEP Nation, Keith Beasley, CEO of Channel One Productions, Tanisha Bronaugh, WorkBased Learning Placement Coordinator of Breithaupt Career and Technical Center and 350 Detroit Chassis Associates.
Rachel Adenaas, Mrs. Michigan 2019, was also in attendance and was a gracious participant throughout the luncheon. She took photos with Associates and greeted guests. Rachel praised Detroit Chassis Associates for demonstrating a great work ethic and team spirit. She said that in her visits to manufacturing sites, she had never witnessed such enthusiasm, nor had she experienced the family atmosphere that exists at Detroit Chassis.
Th
ank you to all of the suppliers that provided services for the event, particularly Creative Marketing Solutions, Gary’s
Catering, G&C Equipment Rental, and Party Paradise. Your timing, class, and professionalism were second to none, and your creativity turned our production entrance into a beautiful dining hall.
Additional contributing suppliers helped us give away 61 gifts valued at a total of $3,329. We could not have done this without you: Sigma Pac, Unifrst, MSC Direct Supply, Safety Source and Marco Net.
Kudos to members of the Detroit Chassis management team: Mike Hinton, VP HR, Pamela Edwards, Controller, Paola Cabrera, Purchasing, Paul Levandowski, Senior Manager Business Development, Jaavon Hairston, BAMM Intern and Dr. Linda Ratliff-Watkins, Director Community Support and Ministry, Senior Manager Customer Service—all of whom served as the initial Project Planning Committee. The extended committee included: Dennis Edwards, President, Jerome Huddleston, Plant Manager, Phillip White, Operations/Continuous Improvement Manager, Vernon Butler, Engineering Manager, Paul Grech, Manufacturing Engineer/Maintenance Manager, and Quinten Harris, Facilities. Nicole Gordy, Accounting Manager, Toni Siders, HR Generalist, Michelle Taylor, Accounting Analyst and Inecia McKinney, Accounts Payable assisted with decorations.
Kudos to the entire Team for inspiration, vision and tenacity, and in the words of Tim Young, Director of Manufacturing, Ford Motor Company: “Here’s to another 20 years!” The Best Motorhome Chassis is Built in the Motor City!
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