By: MAYURI MUNOT

1. James A. Bianchi, President of www.bianchipr.com By: MAYURI MUNOT Winter 2012

2. About Bianchi PR Founded in 1992 by James A. Bianchi in his basement office, Bianchi Public Relations is an award-winning PR agency based in Troy, Mich. This agency is best known for media relations, publicity, increasing awareness and building brand identity, offering a broad range of PR and related services. Bianchi Public Relations is celebrating its 20th year in business.

3. James A. Bianchi • Accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). • Has more than 30 years experience in automotive, industrial and business-to-business PR gained in both the corporate and agency environments. • Has represented clients in the aftermarket, association, automotive, construction, consulting, design, e-business, education, engineering, industrial, legal, manufacturing, not-for-profit, professional services and technology sectors.

4. Educational Background • James A. Bianchi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit in 1976. He also graduated with distinction. • As part of his degree work, he served as an intern newspaper reporter for the suburban Detroit Mellus Newspapers (now Heritage Newspaper’ News-Herald. • Bianchi was the first recipient of the Wayne State University’s (WSU) Department of Communication’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2003.

5. Employment History City of Allen Park’s & Recreation Department J.I. Scott Co. (Grand Rapids marketing communications agency) • Worked as a part-time employee who developed newsletters, wrote news releases and coordinated special events in 1975. • Publicist on automotive, agricultural and industrial accounts. • This is where Bianchilaunched his full-time PR career in 1979.

6. Employment History Continued… Fruehauf Corp. (Detroit-based global transportation equipment manufacturer) Ray D. Eisbrenner & Co. (Detroit-based PR firm) • Served as public relations manager from 1980-1986. • Handled public relations activities for the corporation and its Fruehauf Trailer Division. • Worked for this leading automotive, heavy-duty truck and industrial account teams from 1986-1992.

7. Bianchi’s Associations • Detroit Chapter of PRSA • Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce • Sterling Heights Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Troy Chamber of Commerce • Marketing & Sales Executives of Detroit • Automotive Press Association • Truck Writers of North America • Society of Automotive Engineers

8. Current Roles and Responsibilities • President of Bianchi Public Relations, 1992-Present • Oversees every account, the employment, training and development of staff – everything except for the financial aspects. • Actively involved in strategy, planning, writing and media relations for several of the firm’s accounts. • Focuses on taking care of his clients. • Helps consult with client and helps clients reach out to the right reporters. • Counsels clients on the right way to do things.

9. Roles and Responsibilities Continued… • Bianchi works with clients on both strategies and execution. • He employs full-time PR account professionals with experience and degrees in PR, journalism, broadcasting or communications. Every employee has at least a journalism major or minor. • He understands clients' businesses and strives to be up-to-date on trends and issues that affect them. • He develops and maintains strong relationships with business and trade media on local, national and international levels.

10. Bianchi’s Current Clients • 3M Automotive Division • Cooper Standard • Johnson Controls Automotive Experience • Munro & Associates • National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) - Michigan Chapter • Client since 2008 • Client since 2008 • Client since 1997 • Client since 2010 • Client since 2011

11. Bianchi’s Current Clients Continued… • Schaeffler Technologies • Simrit • Steel Market Development Institute • TRW Automotive • Client since 2007 • Client since 2003 • Client since 2006 • Client since 1994

12. Clientele Focus “We do really good work with a select group of clients. Our clients tend to stay with us for 10-17 years. We’ve been able to keep and maintain long-term relations. We don’t spend a lot of time looking for new clients. Our clients are mainly niche types. We don’t have a huge budget, but rather a more modest budget that still gets senior attention.” – President James A. Bianchi

13. Bianchi Biz Blog * Blog History Top five blog posts of 2011 • Blog was started by President James A. Bianchi in January 2009. • The blog includes discussions about business-to-business PR and communications. 1. 10 Habits of Successful PR Client-Agency Relationships 2. Top 10 Bits of PR Advice 3. 20 Business Buzzwords You Want to Kill 4. Top 7 Unfriendable Offenses 5. PR Retainers Are Long Gone. Aren’t They?

14. The Importance of Social Media “As a baby boomer who remembers life before the Internet, it’s interesting to be stepping into the world of social networking to see where it might take us. I’m hoping it will help start some conversations and enable us to discover some new things together. I’m always interested to see what other people of all generations are thinking, and because we all have a lot to learn about how to use the new communications tools.” -President James A. Bianchi

15. Advice “…If there is one piece of advice I can give an aspiring young communications professional, it’s to force yourself to listen. By giving other people the floor, by letting the conversation be about someone else, and by making someone else the center of the universe for a few minutes, you’ll be amazed at what you learn.” -President James A. Bianchi

16. References www.bianchipr.com www.facebook.com/bianchipr www.jbianchi777.wordpress.com