Our team here at the Faces of GM is about to take a break over the Christmas/New Year’s period, but before we go, we’d like to thank you for making 2011 a great year for us. We’ve produced more than 80 stories, introducing you to employees, dealers, customers and friends of GM, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Sometimes we talked about great cars or trucks, and other times we showed you great people contributing to great communities.

Looking back over the year, we selected a few of our favorite stories that we thought you might like to look at again, or check out for the first time. Each of them highlights an aspect of how GM touches so many lives across the country and around the world.  Feel free to post your own comments on the blog.

- After a killer tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, we brought you the story of how the Crossroads Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership helped the community and its employees deal with the devastation.

- We also introduced you to Seattle, Wash. dealer Brad Brotherton who uses social media to touch his local community and has found his business growing as a result of what he’s doing online.

- Homeless advocate Mark Horvath was given a GMC Terrain for a year to help him deliver his message about homelessness in the U.S. and Canada. People in two countries became aware of an often-hidden issue as a result of his work.

- Chevrolet previewed the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu (which should be at your dealerships in early 2012) and we met aerodynamics engineer Suzy Cody, a mother of two who drives a Camaro and skates on a roller derby team. We enjoyed bringing you the story about her passion for her job and her family.

- And in recognition of the 10^th anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies of the last generation, airbrush artist Mickey Harris created a special tribute to the heroes of 9/11, by telling the stories of that event through images painted on a Chevrolet Silverado. The response from the people on the streets of New York City near Ground Zero showed us how that vehicle touched the hearts of so many.

Thanks again for stopping by our blog and making 2011 a record-setting year in terms of stories and page views. We look forward to 2012, and bringing you more about the people and products that make GM an integral part of so many homes, families and communities. Happy New Year! See you in January.

Not that long ago he was one of those homeless people with a laptop and a cell phone. He took his last $45, registered the domain name http://invisiblepeople.tv and went out to find homeless people and help them tell their story to a worldwide audience on the internet. As he travels, Mark does speaking engagements and media interviews to try to affect changes in homeless policies. He also tries to help people find housing.

Mark Horvath interviews a homeless dad at Solid Ground shelter in suburban Detroit.

At this year’s SOBCon (Successful Online Business Conference) in Chicago, GMC wanted to do something to reflect GMC’s theme of “Never Say Never.” In recognition of Mark’s dogged pursuit of the homeless issue, the brand awarded him a GMC Terrain equipped with WiFi and premium OnStar services to serve as his mobile office for 2011. He has now put more than 10,000 miles on the Terrain, traveling from coast to coast and up into Canada in search of stories.

Mark says his road trip is dedicated to Terry Pettigrew. He tells Terry’s story like this:

I met a homeless man who is 58 years old dying of cancer — he’d been homeless since 8 years old — and I interviewed him. Usually it takes a week or longer to get up the video. I try to go in sequential order. It just takes time. But I felt compelled to get his story up that night because not only was this old guy someone that I liked talking to you, he is dying of cancer and encouraging me. So I put it up that night. The local news media put the picture of me and him on the front page of the newspaper and put that video on the front page of their website. And his (Terry’s) brother of 33 years recognized the photo and recognized the video and they were reunited.

Terry Pettigrew died two months ago but he died with family. He had 11 family members at his memorial and was able to spend 53 days with his brother that he never thought he’d see again.

At the end of every video I ask people what three wishes they have. Terry only had two, but later on he said: “I really, really want to be around family when I die.” And he had 53 days with a loving family — I wish he had more before he died — because of InvisiblePeople.tv.

Take a look at the video below and hear about Mark’s personal journey from a successful professional into, out of and back into homelessness. Get a sense of how he views his relationship with GM and let him tell you about Rhoda’s ride in the Terrain and how it made her life a little better, at least for a short while.

Recently, home and design expert Carter Oosterhouse visited his hometown of Traverse City, Mich. to shoot a number of online videos for GMC Trade Secrets. Joining him were co-hosts Chef Sam Talbot and home improvement authority Eric Stromer.

Home decor expert Carter Oosterhouse (center) with bloggers Chris Gardner (l) and Becks Davis.

Joe LaMuraglia from GMC Communications invited bloggers Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie and Chris Gardner of Man Made DIY to meet and interview the stars of GMC Trade Secrets.

The bloggers learned that Sam, Eric and Carter are all committed to sustainability. “I was very fortunate because my parents raised my brothers and my sister to have that eco consciousness and be aware of green, sustainable living,” Carter said. Sam offered a suggestion for people wanting to improve their cooking. “When you actually take the time and a little bit of effort and really just dive in there and get your fingers dirty in the soil — and if you have a little piece of land where you could throw some corn, throw some cucumbers or grow a tomato vine, and involve the family — that to me is the first step in really taking your home cooking and elevating it.” Eric talked about driving his GMC Sierra Hybrid pickup in Los Angeles. He said he even takes his truck to Hollywood movie premieres. “People are kind of into the fact that it’s a hybrid truck. I get a lot of looks from that because people don’t think trucks can be hybrid. So that’s what I love about it.”

Carter and Eric not only host GMC Trade Secrets, but they are also passionate GMC owners – both own and love the Sierra Hybrid. And Sam is actively looking at a GMC truck for his next vehicle. The Sierra Hybrid, along with the Acadia Denali crossover and Terrain SUV, are prominently featured in the weekly videos.

GMC Trade Secrets also has a mobile app you can install on your smartphone to allow you to get the experts’ advice, even if you’re not sitting at your computer. You can also follow the series on Facebook and Twitter.

If you’re looking for help on a specific project or just looking for ideas, check out the more than 350 available videos on GMC Trade Secrets. You know that the advice will be Professional Grade.

He’s also a guy who is committed to social media. He says, “Here at Brotherton, we’ve taken a real hard look at social media and how it can help our business to communicate with the customer and get this dialog going about what’s going on in the marketplace.”  His advice for other dealers? “Make sure you’re not yelling at your customer to come in and buy a car.” Brad says that dealers first need to have a dialog and establish a relationship with people online. Hopefully, the discussion will eventually lead to buying a car.

Brotherton also has a YouTube channel to connect with customers.

Brad personally handles the marketing and social media for his dealership. He says, “We’ve got great people here. The managers we have allow me to be able to go out and be kind of the marketing and community outreach person for the dealership.” And he enjoys doing it. “It’s a lot of fun so you tend to focus on the things that are more fun to do.”

The Brotherton dealership uses all the familiar tools: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Yelp all offer opportunities to interact with potential customers. When people talk about their Cadillac, Buick or GMC, a dealer can learn what they like or don’t like. Sometimes Brad will comment when he sees someone unhappy with their non-Brotherton product. He says, “When somebody says, ‘I hate my BMW’, we can go in and say, ‘Here at Brotherton Cadillac, we can certainly understand where you’re coming from. Would you consider looking at the GMC Denali or the new Terrain or the Buick LaCrosse?”

Miss Washington Brittney Henry talks with GM V.P. Terry Woychowski and Brad at a dealership event. Brotherton is a long-time supporter of the Miss Washington organization.

Social media also allows the Brotherton dealership to tap into friends of friends. Charitable organizations that the Brotherton store has supported for years now offer cross-promotion and linking opportunities online. Jenni Hogan does local TV traffic reports and has nearly 34,000 Twitter followers. Brotherton has worked with her to put together mobile tweetups where they drive a vehicle to a location, and people meet up to drop off charitable donations. They did one for Toys for Tots, where they collected 17,000 toys. And it was done through Twitter. Brad says it doesn’t cost much and, “There’s folks that I’ve met through those campaigns that would never know us otherwise.”

He hopes that once people learn about Brotherton, they’ll appreciate the community involvement and friendly approach, and ultimately want to buy their next car or truck from him. It’s a strategy that seems to be working.

After five months of intense research and comparisons among several manufacturers, Aaron purchased his 2010 4×4 GMC Sierra Crew Cab in August 2010.  Little did he imagine that his enthusiasm for his new truck would lead to some very unique adventures.

He had friended the GMC Facebook page a few months before his purchase, and after he bought his truck he quickly shared a photo of the “newest member of the family” and talked how much he liked it, and the level of quality he experienced. GMC messaged Aaron back and a very special relationship began.

GMC team members had Aaron sharing stories about his truck, explaining how it impacted his lifestyle and the different ways that he used it.  He eventually wound up writing a short story for GMC about how his Sierra was an integral part of his life.  That story led to a GMC request to film an interview with Aaron, as an Owner Testimonial.  A Thanksgiving 2010 shoot produced five videos that GMC later posted to GMC.com, as well as all of its social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).  Even more importantly, as Aaron says, “To be asked questions such as ‘what I like’ and ‘what I dislike’ about their vehicles, and then have them actually listen to me and take notes – it’s just shocking! This tells me that GMC is doing its homework, and that they are committed to building the best truck on the road.”

Aaron with other GM Superfans at 2011 NAIAS

Aaron was further shocked when GMC invited him to attend the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in January 2011. He says, “This type of thing just doesn’t happen to someone who just buys a car, you know?”  Aaron spent three whirlwind days hosted by the GM Social Media Team, with a group of 20 other GM brand “super fans” and bloggers.  They attended the NAIAS Press Days, and enjoyed meals and meetings with executives from across GM.  A highlight of his trip was getting to spend a few hours with the GMC team that originally reached out to him on Facebook, and seeing his finished testimonial videos for the first time.  “The entire time, I felt like I owed a debt of gratitude to everyone for receiving such an awesome and amazing trip, yet every single person I met from GM thanked me numerous times for my purchase. They thanked me for believing in them, for supporting their product, and for standing by a company that had had its’ reputation on the line the last few years.”

Aaron says that visit to Detroit is “one of the greatest trips I will possibly ever take in my life!

Aaron and other fans meet with GM executives to discuss their vehicles

After walking in the shoes of those members of the auto industry for three days, I have an entirely new outlook on their profession and careers.  The spirit of the people makes the company, and we somehow forget that when seeing ads on TV or YouTube.  I am so grateful to be given this opportunity, and even more – I am truly a GMC Superfan for life!”  Janet Keller, GMC’s Digital–Social Media Manager, returned the compliment.  “Aaron is not only a loyal owner but also a great advocate for GMC.  We are happy to help amplify his enthusiastic voice along with the voices of our other passionate GMC fans, as they provide our customers and shoppers with the most credible, real-world validation to our GMC vehicles.”

Other than his Carbon Black Sierra Crew Cab, another of Aaron’s passions is fishing, which was the storyline for one of his five GMC Owner Testimonials. Check it out by clicking video below.

Chuck has kept his dual-track careers going for more than three decades. He’s been working for General Motors for nearly 34 years, and for about the same amount of time he’s been playing bass professionally. He even had a television career for a while. “I was on a TV program back in the day. It was called Dallas Alive with Peter Marshall. We were the house band for the show and that was a lot of fun. It was like a daytime version of The Tonight Show and had special guests come on.” But don’t think music is something he did in the past or does on a small scale. He’s still playing with some of best. “I have a host of people I’ve played with. Some of the popular ones: jazz pianist Jeff Lorber, Ken Navarro, Alex Bugnon, Phil Perry, Marion Meadows, Joe McBride, and the list goes on and on in the jazz industry. I’ve been 20 years playing jazz.”

Chuck is known for his bass playing and he has even recorded a CD. It’s titled Basically Bass and is available on Amazon and on iTunes, among other places. He says, “The whole idea behind the CD was to let people know that bass has a voice, also. Most of the time bass is considered a side instrument to back up an artist. Bass needs to be heard.”

Despite his success in the high-profile music business, he is committed to his job with GM. He says the GM job “was the family thing.” It provided stability and benefits. “Music sometimes goes up and down, it’s like a roller coaster. I didn’t want to put them through that.”

And he’s proud of the vehicles the team at Arlington Assembly produces. He says, “The truck that we build at our plant is a worldwide truck. When the industry is down the world is going to demand something and they seem to love our SUVs, our (Cadillac) Escalades, our (GMC) Yukon Denalis, our (Chevrolet) Tahoe Hybrids.”

His nickname of Chuck dates back to when he was a small child. His twin sister was called Ducky and he was known as Chucky. He says, “When I got to Texas I dropped the “y”” Today no one is asking why he continues to pursue two careers. It’s pretty obvious that he’s darn good at both of them.

For more information on Chuck Smith’s music check out his website: www.bassicallybass.webs.com

The technology is now available on the GMC Acadia using patented OnStar safety and security technology.

The self-diagnosis includes tire pressure, how much oil life remains, odometer readings and deeper diagnostic details if a dash service light goes on.  “It’s essentially a vehicle health check in a concise e-mail format,” said McCutchen. 

Growing up in rural Texas, McCutchen spent hours playing classic video games like Galaga at the local arcade.  His interest in technology was cemented when his parents bought him a Commodore 64 computer at age 10.

“As a kid, using a computer meant writing your own programs,” said McCutchen. “Most computers didn’t come prepackaged with a lot of software in those days.  Instead, they shipped with a programming language like BASIC pre-installed, and you had to code your own games and programs.”  McCutchen’s interest led him to Texas Tech University and ultimately to a career with safety and security innovator OnStar.

McCutchen’s time playing high school football in Texas taught him the value of teamwork.  “Football taught me about executing as a team,” he said. “That experience became invaluable later on when I worked with the OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics team.”  McCutchen led the team of OnStar programmers and developers that built the technology based on his original blueprint.

McCutchen says seeing the next great innovation is what motivates him.  “I really want to see the next big things in OnStar technology and how we can help our GMC subscribers be safe in the vehicle,” he said.

The next generation of OnStar vehicle diagnostics, the OnStar MyLink mobile app, brings real-time vehicle analytics to smart phones and mobile devices, such as the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch and select Android devices.  With MyLink, vehicle owners can view real-time fuel levels, vehicle range, fuel economy, tire pressure, oil levels and more.  In addition to diagnostics, the MyLink app allows owners to remotely lock or unlock their vehicle and remotely start their vehicle.

One step in hitting quality goals is the white glove check done at the end of the assembly line. As the vehicle arrives at the end of the line three employees swarm over it and do a rapid-fire series of checks. Andy Danko calls the final check the “Care Line” and he says “We check all electrical functions, we check everything mechanically, we check the appearance of the truck.”

Throughout the build process each vehicle is checked constantly to make sure it doesn’t leave a work station without achieving perfect quality, but as it moves from one station to another sometimes something that was done correctly earlier could become undone. Thus the Care Line check. Standing at the end of the truck assembly line Andy says they rarely have to pull a vehicle off to the side because “we have a lot of people looking at it ahead of this.”

Andy has been working for GM for 25 years and he says the end-of-line checks have always been part of the assembly process, but he admits the check is more stringent today. “The standards are higher. We look at the truck more critically. The competition is greater, but we have the best-built truck design-wise right now and we’re ready to take anybody on.”

Andy got into the automotive business because he wanted to design cars. Three days after he graduated from Penn State as a mechanical engineer he was hired at GM’s Flint Metal Center to design dies for sheet metal stamping. He has held a series of jobs in the production and quality areas over his quarter-century with the company. He has seen a lot of changes in the auto business and he says the entire GM organization knows it has to produce the highest quality vehicles for its customers.

Andy assures anyone looking at buying a GMC truck, “We have quality processes in the plant that prevent any defects from getting out.” And he takes his job personally, saying of the quality team, “We’re the ones that make sure the customer gets a great truck.”

Since 1990 Stubbings has owned 12 GMC trucks and when he saw a deal on the Sierra Denali 3500HD model, he decided it was time for a new truck. “I called a friend of mine at GM and said I’d like to get a truck. And he said, let me see what I can do.” His timing was remarkable. The 13th GMC truck James Stubbings was ready to buy was also the 13 millionth vehicle to roll off the line at the Flint Assembly plant since it began operation in 1947. It was time for a party.

GM invited James and his wife Dawn to the plant for the rollout of the milestone vehicle.

For Stubbings the new truck is a combination of the best of the best. Of the first 12, nine were GMC Sierra Heavy Duty models (dually) and three were Sierra Denalis. This time he got the Sierra Denali HD with all the luxury he likes and all the hauling power he wants and needs.

James owns Heartbeat City in Shelby Township, Michigan, a company that manufactures and sells parts for 1967 to 1969 model year Camaros. He also collects Camaros. That means his Sierras are used not only for his business, but also to haul his collector models to car shows around the country. “Go to pick up a car or parts or whatever, and I’m always proud to do it in a GMC truck.” His company is a licensee with General Motors to allow him to make certain parts for Camaros, but he has never been an employee of the company.

James drives his Sierras not only for work, but also as his everyday transportation. His wife Dawn also drives a GMC Sierra. James says, “They’re safe vehicles … and she loves it. It’s good in bad weather and good  just to drive any time.”

When asked why he keeps coming back to GMC trucks, James says, “I like driving trucks and I don’t think I can find a truck better than this one. You look at that truck and it doesn’t get any better than that.”

James Stubbings doesn’t think he’s done buying GMC trucks, but he doesn’t think his next delivery will come with as much fanfare as this one. He’s now had more than a dozen different positive experiences with GMC and next time he won’t have to deal with triskaidekaphobia influencing his decision.

Click here for more information on the GMC Sierra Denali

Eric Raich, Fleet Account Executive, Fleet and Commercial Operations, GMC

My GM career started at the end of my baseball career.  After growing up in Compton, Calif., and graduating from Dominguez High School, I went to the University of Southern California (USC) on a football scholarship.  I played baseball at USC, too, and it wasn’t long until I really wanted to just play ball – baseball, that is. 

Although I was on track with a business administration degree, I decided to sit out my junior year and become Major League Baseball (MLB) eligible in 1971 for the 1972 draft in January. I was the number one pick of the First-Year Player Draft and went to play for the Cleveland Indians.                                                                                                 

The best part is that I met my wife during my first MLB spring training in Arizona.  During a St. Patrick’s Day party hosted by one of the Indians’ owners, I met her and within seven days after meeting Eileen we were engaged.  We’ve now been married for 38 years and have three children, Jennifer, Ryan and Leah, and have two grandchildren, Avery and Elias.

My first game in “the show”: My first big league game was against what would be the 1972 World Series Champions – the Oakland A’s.  I went seven innings with no decision, which means I wasn’t awarded the win, but the team won the game.  It really was the best first game.

My MLB stats:  My first big league win came against the California Angels in Anaheim, against Nolan Ryan.  Luckily, I gave out 58 passes to my family, friends and whoever else would watch me play so I had quite a few “fans” to help me celebrate.

Even though I tore my right rotator cuff in 1975, I continued to play with the Indians until 1978 when I was picked up by the Baltimore Orioles and finished my career with them.  Then it was on to my next opportunity – that’s when GM “drafted” me. GM needed a sales guy at the GMC Factory Truck Center in Ohio and I guess I was the best fit for their roster.  I’ve been a GMer ever since.

My GM stats:  From 1979 to 2008, I exceeded all of my GM sales objectives as a medium-duty fleet account executive, medium and light-duty commercial account executive and commercial sales manager.  A third-party organization also once ranked me as one of the top five fleet account executives in the country.

Our recent Stanley Steemer win is one that I’ve worked on for more than 10 years.  It feels good to know we’ve matched them with a great cargo van that meets their special needs and also comes with an excellent powertrain warranty.  It really was the 100,000/5-year transferable Powertrain Limited Warranty that synched the deal.

That was definitely another career highlight and there’s more to come – I’m not quite ready to hang up my spikes with this team.