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	<title>Faces of GM &#187; Men</title>
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	<link>http://www.facesofgm.com</link>
	<description>Telling the Stories Behind the People Behind the GM Brands</description>
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		<title>John Gahan: Working at GM is just another ball</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/08/03/john-gahan-working-at-gm-is-just-another-ball/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/08/03/john-gahan-working-at-gm-is-just-another-ball/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:00:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chevrolet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dealers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[District Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Gahan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Men]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sports]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=1243</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a single father of two boys, the hours that John Gahan, a Chevrolet district sales manager for General Motors in the northeast region, spends with his kids on the field influences the way he interacts with dealers and customers. Read more about his work at General Motors in this post.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>John Gahan is a Chevrolet district sales manager for General Motors in the northeast region who uses skills he learned in sports to forge stronger relationships with dealers. For John everything is about developing a shared vision. As a single father of two boys, the hours that he spends with his kids on the field influences the way he interacts with dealers and customers. We asked John to explain how his life experiences influence his work.</em></p>
<p>Since playing sports is my passion, I take my cue from experiences on the field or on the court. Sometimes I will spend the whole weekend coaching my two boys – John and James – in football, baseball, soccer and basketball. I was the captain of my high school football team, and the Marist college football team, and learned vital life and career skills from playing sports. I learned all about teamwork and the importance of relationships; and that is what I bring to my work every day.</p>
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<p>I started as the OnStar territory representative and solved dealer and customer issues for six years before becoming the district sales manager for GM.</p>
<p>I am currently responsible for more than 17 dealerships in the northeast. I work very closely with these dealerships every day and make sure that customers understand our product offerings and get the best-in-class sales and service experience.</p>
<p>I’ve been on this job for seven years and the most challenging part of my role is to ensure that dealers are committed to GM the same way that I am.</p>
<p>I rely heavily on the skills learned on the field for this – my leadership skills, my knack for forging individual relationships and my ability to bring people together go a long way in creating a common vision for my dealers.</p>
<p>It’s great to see GM’s initiative to reach out through programs like Project Outreach, which bring together employees, consumers and dealers to share experiences, learn about products and receive feedback from each other.  I had the opportunity to participate in Outreach Long Island last month where I was able to bridge the gap between customers and dealers.</p>
<p>I am happy to see that GM is taking a page out of my personal book and building relationships across regions. I now feel an integral part of GM’s vision.</p>
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		<title>Tom: a cold test operator with a sixth sense</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/06/02/tom-a-cold-test-operator-with-a-sixth-sense/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/06/02/tom-a-cold-test-operator-with-a-sixth-sense/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:33:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[engine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Men]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tonawanda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tonawanda plant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UAW]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=884</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tom Carney is a cold-test operator at the GM Tonawanda plant in Buffalo, NY. He is a member of UAW Local 774 and has been working with GM for 35 years. Tom has his ear to the ground and can figure out issues with the engine just by listening to it. He loves travelling and [...]]]></description>
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<p><em>Tom Carney is a cold-test operator at the GM Tonawanda plant in Buffalo, NY. He is a member of UAW Local 774 and has been working with GM for 35 years. Tom has his ear to the ground and can figure out issues with the engine just by listening to it. He loves travelling and remembers his official trip to Japan very fondly. Tom has been married to Sherry for 28 years. They have three children:</em> <em>Casey – 27, Kelliann – 24 and Ryan – 23.</em></p>
<p><strong>35 glorious years:</strong> Golf is my passion and I will play golf at any chance that I get; last year I played 70 rounds.  I also like to cook and do most of the cooking at home. I love to barbecue all year round and even though I live in Buffalo, NY, I’ll shovel a path to the grill if I have to. I also like to travel and since my wife works for <a href="http://www.jetblue.com/">Jet Blue</a>, it makes travel a lot easier.</p>
<div id="attachment_885" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-885" title="Tom Carney golf" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Tom-Carney-golf-300x224.jpg" alt="Tom enjoying a game of golf!" width="300" height="224" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Tom enjoying a game of golf!</p></div>
<p>I’ve been at GM for 35 years and started my career at GM Interior Plastics in Syracuse, NY. We made bumper fascias and moldings and painted them to match the car. That plant closed in 1993 and I relocated to Buffalo, NY to work at the Tonawanda engine plant.</p>
<p><strong>My sixth sense:</strong> I’ve been on this job for five years and have developed a sixth sense that picks up on what is wrong with an engine just by listening to it. I’m a pretty laid-back guy but if there is something going on with the engine that I’ve not seen before, I cannot rest till I find the problem. I’d say that is the most challenging part of my job.</p>
<p>I am currently a cold-test operator and work on the 2.2L/2.4L Ecotec engine that goes into the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/chevrolet">Chevy</a> Malibu, Cobalt and HHR. Our equipment tests over 1000 quality parameters including exhaust, torque and oil pressure. I work very closely with senior manufacturing engineer, John Kehoe to make sure we deliver a great product.</p>
<p>I’m proud to work at GM and had the opportunity to go to Japan for an equipment run-off in 2007. Equipment run-offs occur whenever GM gets new machinery and my task in this case was to test new machines at the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) site in Japan. It was an incredible trip, and while I was there I discovered: there is almost no crime in Japan, the food is great and that the Japanese are extremely hospitable.</p>
<p><strong>Exciting times ahead:</strong> GM recently announced that it will be investing $400 million to build a new V8 small, block engine at the Tonawanda plant This follows the announcement of a $425 million investment plan to build Gen 2 2.0L/2.5L Ecotec engines. These are exciting times at Tonawanda and I’m really happy to be a part of it.</p>
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		<title>Micky Bly: Reinventing the Automobile with Chevy Volt</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/26/micky-bly-reinventing-the-automobile-with-chevy-volt/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/26/micky-bly-reinventing-the-automobile-with-chevy-volt/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 May 2010 20:29:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Advanced Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Impact]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Volt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Editor’s Note:  Micky will be sharing his love for advanced propulsion at the Year 2 Finals of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a three-year collegiate automotive engineering competition that challenges 16 North American universities to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles by minimizing the vehicle’s energy consumption, emissions and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining its utility, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em> </em><em>Editor’s Note:  Micky will be sharing his love for advanced propulsion at the Year 2 Finals of <a href="http://www.ecocarchallenge.org/">EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge</a>, a three-year collegiate automotive engineering competition that challenges 16 North American universities to reduce the environmental impact of vehicles by minimizing the vehicle’s energy consumption, emissions and greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining its utility, safety and performance. From May 15 – 26, 16 teams competed in various inspections, presentations and performance reviews at GM’s Yuma, Ariz.,  Proving Grounds. Awards will be handed out at the House of Blues in San Diego on May 27.</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p><strong>Micky Bly, Executive Director, Electrical Systems, Hybrids, Electric Vehicles and Batteries</strong></p>
<p><strong>Bus driver, move that bus!: </strong>One of my biggest passions is renovating houses. It gives me the opportunity to put my engineering chops to the test in a different way and really helps me wind down after a long day.  I’ve remodeled two vintage houses including my current home in Pleasant Ridge, Mich., built in 1912, which won a beautification award from the city in 2006.</p>
<p><strong>Nerd Alert: </strong>I love cutting-edge sci-fi and adventure movies. I count <em>Star Wars</em> as one of my favorites (don’t judge!).</p>
<p><strong>Bookworm:</strong>I’ll read anything by Clive Cussler, the great American adventure novelist. His stories are exciting and keep you guessing until the end. I guess it doesn’t hurt that he’s a car collector, too.</p>
<p><strong>Put me in, coach!: </strong>I love playing any sport, though I can’t say I play any of them well.</p>
<p>I grew up in Augusta , Georgia – home of the Masters Tournament. Even though I’m still a southern boy at heart (I still miss great sweet tea), I consider myself a Detroiter – maybe it’s because I felt drawn to the heart of the automotive industry.  With a passion for tearing things apart, figuring them out and putting them back together, I decided to study mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. After a four-year stint as a student intern, I began my full-time career with GM in 1990, as a Powertrain Development and Validation engineer.</p>
<p>Over the last 19 years I’ve been doing a lot of tearing apart, figuring out and putting back together.  One of my first assignments was with the Small Block V8 engine group, where I was the Lead Development engineer for the iconic Corvette Small Block V8 engine. We were able to take a very good engine with a lot of history and make it a great engine with more performance and reliability.</p>
<p>In 1997, I made my way across the ocean to England to work as an Engine Management Systems engineer for the Ecotec L4 – GM’s global four-cylinder engine program. This was my first experience with working towards making globally sustainable transportation a reality.</p>
<p>After a second global assignment in Germany, I moved around in Powertrain back in Michigan until 2006, where I became the director of Global Hybrid Integration and Controls where I managed teams responsible for the development of our multiple hybrid vehicles. We made sure all of the components &#8211; from the engine, transmission, brakes and batteries to the computers and the software that run electronic controls &#8211; came together seamlessly and as a result, I’m proud to say, our work was recognized with honors like the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, which was named Green Car Journal’s “Green Car of the Year.”</p>
<p>Today, I oversee the development of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt’s vehicle integration and battery development – yet another big step towards sustainable transportation. What does that mean? Well, I’m responsible for the strategy, planning and execution for most things electrical on our vehicles. Right now, the Volt is where we are focusing the majority of our attention. It’s exciting for me to see a car that, just a few years ago, was only a concept and now I’m part of team that’s working to bring it to market. I’m so proud of how much the team has evolved. The talent that has been brought on board is amazing. We have the best and brightest working around the clock to ensure this vehicle will be a success.</p>
<p>I feel so blessed to have a career I love and family that supports what I do. In fact, I think I may even have two future engineers on my hands. My eight-year-old son Ethan is already a car buff and he can’t wait to see which new car I’ll bring home. He greets me with a huge smile and a curious twinkle in his eyes that I recognize very well!  And my ten-year-old daughter Emily is already talking about engineering school.  Who knows? Maybe someday they’ll both be working on a new concept vehicle that could change the industry and make their old man’s work seem obsolete.</p>
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		<title>Dan: Trucks and NASA and Robots, Oh My!</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/05/dan-trucks-and-nasa-and-robots-oh-my/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/05/dan-trucks-and-nasa-and-robots-oh-my/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 May 2010 15:11:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=856</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dan Flores, Manager of Communications for Research and Development, Global Engineering and Advanced Technology I couldn’t live without: My iPod. I’m a workout fanatic, and my iPod is the one thing that really keeps me motivated. I like to throw on some 70s or 80s classic rock and hit the weights. Houston, we have a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dan Flores, Manager of Communications for Research and Development, Global Engineering and Advanced Technology<br />
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-861" title="Dan With Robot at JSC" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Dan-With-Robot-at-JSC-209x300.jpg" alt="Dan With Robot at JSC" width="209" height="300" /><br />
</strong><strong>I couldn’t live without: </strong>My iPod. I’m a workout fanatic, and my iPod is the one thing that really keeps me motivated. I like to throw on some 70s or 80s classic rock and hit the weights.</p>
<p><strong>Houston, we have a problem: </strong>My favorite movies stars are Tom Hanks –  he was awesome in “Forrest Gump” and “Apollo 13” – Robert Dinero and Al Pacino  – “The Godfather” and “The Godfather: Part II”.</p>
<p><strong>History buff: </strong>When it comes to books, I like non-fiction. I typically won’t even pick one up unless it’s about military history or World War II.</p>
<p>Ever since I was a kid, I thought of working for GM. I grew up in Flint where both my grandfather and father worked for GM. My grandfather emigrated from Mexico and began working at the Foundry in Flint and my dad worked for GM for more than 40 years as an hourly employee at Buick City manufacturing complex that is no longer in operation. I even married a GM employee. So I guess you could say GM runs in my blood!</p>
<p>I attended Flint Hamady High School, where I became an all-state football player and a state champion in track. I accepted a full-ride scholarship to play football at Central Michigan University. After multiple ankle injuries, I transferred to the University of Michigan-Flint where I graduated with a degree in communications.</p>
<p>I began working for GM in April 1993, setting up shop at the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center in Troy. After about a year, I was offered a position in Thousand Oaks, CA as a customer assistance manager. I saw this job as the perfect stepping stone to my goal of working in communications. This provided me with the opportunity to work directly with customers and dealers. What better way to sharpen my communication skills and learn more about our customers than to talk and work with them every day?</p>
<p>My move into the communications field came about a year and a half after my time spent in California. There was an internal communications opening in the GM Truck Group in Pontiac, MI and I jumped at the opportunity. Since then, I’ve served as the company spokesman for a variety of business areas including Manufacturing, Labor, product safety recalls, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain and I was heavily involved in the media relations related to the company’s restructuring efforts.  One of my favorite positions was working with the full-size truck team for the launch of the GMT800 program in 1998. It was the first time they had re-engineered a full-size truck in 18 years!</p>
<p>Fast forward 17 years where, I’m now the communications manager for research and development, global engineering and advanced technology. There is a tremendous amount of innovation within this company and it’s my job to highlight it. Recently, I had the chance to work with NASA on announcing the GM/NASA advanced robotic technology partnership, creating Robonaut 2 (R2). R2 will play a key role in helping us develop sensors and systems to support advanced safety technologies for our next-generation of cars and trucks, while also making our plants safer for our manufacturing workforce. It’s not commonly known, but GM was the first automaker to use robotics in the manufacturing of its vehicles.</p>
<p>So I’ve worked with robots and trucks. I guess you could say I’m living every kid’s fantasy. But while it’s pretty great, I’ve had my fair share of life’s difficulties. In 1997, I was diagnosed with a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Basically, it’s a disorder that causes scarring and inflammation in the bile ducts of the liver. By 2003, it became clear that a liver transplant was my only option. In February of 2005, I became ill and had to go on disability. I nearly died due to internal bleeding. I was on a transplant list at the University of Michigan Hospital, but during one of my visits, a transplant nurse told me I might want to look elsewhere. Wondering where else I was going to find a liver, she informed me of other transplant centers where I would be considered a higher priority. It was then that my family and I moved to Indianapolis to be put on the transplant list at the Indiana University Hospital. We moved on Thursday, May 30, 2005 and by Saturday, June 4, I was wheeled into the operating room. By late July, I had moved back to Michigan and was back to work by September. What a whirlwind!!</p>
<p>This summer will mark five years since my transplant.  GM was so unbelievably supportive and stuck with me every step of the way. It was an experience I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy but I feel fortunate to have gone through it and survived.  Now I look at my wife and kids and realize how lucky I really am.</p>
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		<title>Steve: GM Blue Meets Air Force Blue</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/03/steve-gm-blue-meets-air-force-blue/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/05/03/steve-gm-blue-meets-air-force-blue/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 May 2010 19:51:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=849</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Steve Harrison: GM senior manufacturing engineer and retired US Air Force Master Sergeant It was an obvious connection, at an opportune time.  I work on a team of maintenance folks from many areas within General Motors – pipefitters, truck repairers, electro-mechanical operators and more. You can’t build great cars and trucks if you don’t have [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Steve Harrison: GM senior manufacturing engineer and retired US Air Force Master Sergeant<br />
</strong>It was an obvious connection, at an opportune time.  I work on a team of maintenance folks from many areas within General Motors – pipefitters, truck repairers, electro-mechanical operators and more. You can’t build great cars and trucks if you don’t have excellent maintenance procedures and people to keep the equipment and machinery in top shape, and that’s what my team does.</p>
<div id="attachment_850" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-850" title="Steve and planes" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Steve-and-planes-300x200.jpg" alt="(L-R) MSgt. Stackable (USAF), Steve Harrison (GM), Mike Bachleda (UAW), Wayne Tanis (UAW), Roxy Tanis (Spouse) and Lynne Waldron (UAW)" width="300" height="200" /><p class="wp-caption-text">(L-R) MSgt. Stackable (USAF), Steve Harrison (GM), Mike Bachleda (UAW), Wayne Tanis (UAW), Roxy Tanis (Spouse) and Lynne Waldron (UAW)</p></div>
<p>Recently, we were traveling to an IBM software conference in Nevada, which was focusing on GM&#8217;s maintenance management software of choice, MAXIMO. MAXIMO helps prevent problems before they happen, which is always our goal.</p>
<p>Just north of the conference is Nellis Air Force Base. They have a team of maintenance folks, much like ours… in areas like hydraulics, equipment repair, electro-mechanical, avionics, jet engine and more. And we had connections.</p>
<p>As a retired member of the Air Force, I contacted the Nellis public affairs office before the conference, to set up a collaborative meeting with the &#8216;Ambassadors in Blue,&#8217; the United States Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron, The Thunderbirds.</p>
<p>One reason for our visit was to give our UAW-GM team another perspective on what standardized work looks like. We know that preventive maintenance results in better vehicle quality by avoiding the quality problems that arise from the stops-and-starts of machine downtime/start-up cycling, so what better opportunity is there than to learn what the best of the best are doing in this field?</p>
<p>During our meeting, we had a long discussion on how the supply chain operates, also known to us in GM as indirect material procurement. There were some slight variances, but overall we operate in very similar ways with spare parts and even similar ‘share the spare’ processes.</p>
<p>It was great to witness the expressions of both teams when we discussed common subjects of interest, such as frequency of scheduled inspections and time change repair actions. Lynne Waldron (UAW) and Wayne Tanis (UAW) explained that GM uses time based, hour meter readings and I talked about how stamping operations use stroke based maintenance to schedule tasks on presses and dies.</p>
<p>MSgt. Stackable nodded and smiled, stating that the US Air Force uses variations of the same scheduling tools. Jet engines are inspected generally by total run hours, however, some components of the engine are based on cycle counts; which equates to each engine start being a cycle.</p>
<p>Mike Bachleda (UAW) asked MSgt. Stackable, &#8220;What types of maintenance problems are entered into your maintenance management system,&#8221; and he replied: &#8220;All of them, no matter how minor the deficiencies.&#8221; That&#8217;s impressive.</p>
<p>On the drive back to the hotel, Mike summed it up best: “if you want to see the best of the best in maintenance, look at America’s military services, in particular the United States Air Force.”</p>
<p>We were also privy to recovery operations of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Commander and Flight Leader.  As Lt. Col. Cunningham departed his aircraft, he stopped by and introduced himself to our group, and took the time to state the importance of having a maintenance program that is stringent, is repeatable and has integrity built in to its fabric.  Top down and bottom up commitment to maintenance excellence.</p>
<p>In addition, we were able to represent the UAW and GM as a joint team of maintainers to meet cream of the crop maintainers that represent the hundreds of thousands of maintainers that protect and serve this great country of ours, and the freedoms that we as fellow Americans cherish; and to say thank you.</p>
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		<title>Eric: Still Pitching After All These Years, No Matter What I’m Doing</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/27/eric-still-pitching-after-all-these-years-no-matter-what-i%e2%80%99m-doing/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/27/eric-still-pitching-after-all-these-years-no-matter-what-i%e2%80%99m-doing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GMC]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=845</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-846" title="E.Raich" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/E.Raich.JPG" alt="E.Raich" width="213" height="300" /><br />
Eric Raich, Fleet Account Executive, Fleet and Commercial Operations, GMC</strong></p>
<p>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. </p>
<p>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.                                                                                                 </p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>My first game in “the show”:</em> 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.</p>
<p><em>My MLB stats:</em>  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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em>My GM stats:</em>  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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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		<title>Gery: Standardizing the Industry, One Charge at a Time</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/13/gerry-standardizing-the-industry-one-charge-at-a-time/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/13/gerry-standardizing-the-industry-one-charge-at-a-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:03:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gery Kissel, Engineering Specialist, Global Battery Systems Engineering I’m an amateur: Amateur astronomer, that is! At the end of the day, there’s nothing I like more than looking up at the night sky and viewing the moon and planets with one of my telescopes.  I also observe objects such as the International Space Station and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Gery Kissel, Engineering Specialist, Global Battery Systems Engineering<br />
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-828" title="Gery Kissel" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Gery-Kissel-224x300.jpg" alt="Gery Kissel" width="224" height="300" /></strong></p>
<p><strong>I’m an amateur: </strong>Amateur astronomer, that is! At the end of the day, there’s nothing I like more than looking up at the night sky and viewing the moon and planets with one of my telescopes.  I also observe objects such as the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html">International Space Station</a> and the Space Shuttle when they fly overhead.</p>
<p><strong>I’m teaching my kids to fly:</strong> I like to go to the local park and fly battery-powered, radio-controlled airplanes.  This spring I plan to teach my kids how to keep them in the air longer between crashes!</p>
<p><strong>Reading the fine print: </strong>I like to read anything<strong> </strong>related to astronomy, space or anything that flies!</p>
<p>I grew up in Dearborn, Mich., and, though I come from a family of autoworkers, I never planned on working in the industry. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the <a href="http://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> and my master’s in Engineering Science from <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a>. Immediately after college, I went to work in the nuclear power field. Realizing it wasn’t for me, I went to work for a GM competitor within their electric vehicles program. The program ended up not working out, but I had gained enough experience that I was offered a position at GM in their EV1 program as a wiring engineer. I worked on high voltage wiring and electrical interface analysis. Basically, I was responsible for designing the high voltage wiring on the vehicle. Though the EV1 program was eventually dropped, it paved the way for future innovation at GM.</p>
<p>In the late 1990s, the government led a competition challenging automakers to create a vehicle that would achieve 80 miles-per-gallon. Not surprisingly, GM was the only company to succeed and accomplish its goal. The result? The two-electric-motor, one-diesel-engine, Precept Hybrid. I was fortunate enough to be on the team as an electrical systems manager.</p>
<p>Now I’m working on the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/chevroletvolt?v=info">Chevy Volt</a> as a charging systems lead engineer where I’m writing codes and standards for the wiring and charging components of the vehicle. I was actually recognized recently with an SAE 2010 Technical Standards Board Outstanding Contribution Award for my work in the technical committee activities. Standards work is important because it makes the vehicle safer and it puts requirements in place for future trailblazing. In addition to standards writing, I also work with electric utilities and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to ensure we have all of the requirements necessary for the power grid to handle the charging capacity.</p>
<p>Throughout my time at GM I have been fortunate to have been inspired by some outstanding leaders and mentored by many great engineers.  I feel like I’m in a unique position because, after 14 years with the company, I’ve seen GM’s innovation evolve all the way from the EV1 to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.</p>
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		<title>Mark: creating urban wildlife habitats at work</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/01/mark-creating-urban-wildlife-habitats-at-work/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/04/01/mark-creating-urban-wildlife-habitats-at-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:36:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manufacturing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Men]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=806</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mark D. Fischer, Senior Environmental Engineer at GM Powertrain transmission plant, Warren, Mich. (The plant builds transmissions for the Chevy Malibu, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.) Vital stats: Married with two daughters, ages 15 and 13 Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Environmental Health and Master of Science degree in Hazardous Waste Management Passions: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Mark D. Fischer, Senior Environmental Engineer at GM Powertrain transmission plant, Warren, Mich. (The plant builds transmissions for the Chevy Malibu, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain.)</strong></p>
<p><strong>Vital stats:</strong> Married with two daughters, ages 15 and 13<br />
<strong>Education:</strong> Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Environmental Health and Master of Science degree in Hazardous Waste Management<br />
<strong>Passions:</strong>  I enjoy fishing and hunting and the great outdoors. I love coaching basketball, soccer and track. And, I enjoy community involvement activities, such as water sampling on the Clinton River Watershed in Michigan with local students, and leading Earth Day activities at local schools.  Our staff at work also hosts annual Household Collection Days for plant employees to bring in chemicals, paints, and oil from home to be properly disposed of and/or recycled.<br />
<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="385" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8LM49GUuwhA&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8LM49GUuwhA&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1&amp;" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed></object></p>
<p>As an environmental engineer, it&#8217;s my job to handle all the environmental aspects of a manufacturing plant – whether it’s waste elimination or using less energy.  For example, we are able to generate enough energy from our plant waste in Warren, Mich., to provide electricity for 11 Michigan homes for one year. <strong> </strong>And, I look at the habitat at Warren Transmission as a reflection of me, the plant, and the community and how nature can bring out the best in people.  It can also provide educational opportunities to people who have never been exposed to nature or maybe never thought a small parcel of land could hold so many different things. </p>
<div id="attachment_808" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-808 " title="Mark at school" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Mark-at-school-300x224.jpg" alt="Mark sharing with students on Earth Day" width="300" height="224" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Mark sharing with students on Earth Day</p></div>
<p>Back in 2005, we started discussing making part of our plant site a wildlife habitat. You don’t see that very often in an urban environment. I worked with my boss, Sue Kelsey, and my counterpart AT, Asefaw Teclegorgis, an environmental engineer.</p>
<p>We partnered with Martha Gruelle of the local Wildlife Habitat Council, and John Pomante of Macomb County Chapter of <a href="http://www.macomb-pheasants.org/">Pheasants Forever</a>, and the plant staff and plant employees of Local 909.<br />
<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-807" title="Pheasants forever" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Pheasants-forever-300x224.jpg" alt="Pheasants forever" width="300" height="224" /></p>
<p>We prepared the soil, removed rocks and steel, picked up debris, planted warm season grasses and wildflower, planted pines, and installed bat houses, bird houses, and a bird feeder.</p>
<p>In December 2009, Robert Johnson, President of the Wildlife Habitat, toured the site and gave us additional pointers and kudos for the work we’ve done.</p>
<p>I envision the site to be used as an educational resource to local students or groups, like the Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts, etc. because it tell a story about how a little bit of nature is right here, locally.  I get great pleasure in seeing this project grow, and look forward to opportunities for improvement.  It is cool seeing the wildlife habitat change, like change of seasons, in southeast Michigan.</p>
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		<title>Tom: From Airplane Cockpits to Vehicle Interiors</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/03/22/tom-from-airplane-cockpits-to-vehicle-interiors/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/03/22/tom-from-airplane-cockpits-to-vehicle-interiors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:42:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Employee Stories]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=790</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[  Thomas Seder, Group Manager, Human-Machine Interface Group   Interfacing:  I joined GM in 2006, in our research and development organization, to run our Human-Machine Interface Group.  Role playing: If you look at how our customers interact with GM, most people will think of things like websites, dealers and advertising – and that’s very important.  But [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><strong></strong></div>
<p> </p>
<p><strong></p>
<div id="attachment_791" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-791" title="Tom In Chair Front Points" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Tom-In-Chair-Front-Points-300x225.jpg" alt="Tom leads a team that makes vehicle cockpits safe, easy and pleasing to use" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Tom leads a team that makes vehicle cockpits safe, easy and pleasing to use</p></div>
<p>Thomas Seder, Group Manager, Human-Machine Interface Group</p>
<p> </p>
<p></strong></p>
<p><strong>Interfacing:</strong>  I joined GM in 2006, in our research and development organization, to run our Human-Machine Interface Group. </p>
<p><strong>Role playing:</strong> If you look at how our customers interact with GM, most people will think of things like websites, dealers and advertising – and that’s very important.  But what I work on is improving how our customers interact with their vehicles, in a safe, yet enjoyable manner.</p>
<p>My team helps validate and develop technologies to make the driving experience enjoyable, while assuring that motorists keep their focus on the road.  We work with our design and engineering groups to test and validate new interior electronic interfaces – like navigation system operation, radio controls and other infotainment-based tasks. And we do it within hours of their development thanks to the use of a high-tech simulator, which uses seven Christie high-definition projectors (the same used at your favorite movie theater) to create a virtual roadway of scenarios to see if drivers are distracted by the way controls and gauges are laid out in the vehicle cockpit.</p>
<p>I think I bring an interesting perspective to the job.  Before coming to GM, I spent nearly a decade developing avionics systems for commercial airplanes, including the Boeing 747-400, 767-400, 777 and some of the initial concepts for the cockpit of the 787 Dreamliner.  It may seem like a long leap to go from developing the layout of electronics in the cockpits of airplanes to the cabin of a passenger car, but understanding the behavior of vehicle drivers is far more complex than that of airplane pilots, not to mention the fact that our team has to cater to a number of different vehicle brands.</p>
<p>Boeing did not brand their interfaces, so in my past life I did not have to worry about brands.  At GM, a Cadillac interface has to express the design language of the brand.  Likewise, pilots are trained to use the electronics in the cockpit during very defined procedures, but in a car, the driver’s context is always changing, so developing interfaces for vehicles is much more challenging.</p>
<p>My knowledge of avionics is helping GM develop advanced technology solutions that could make driving even safer in the future.  A recent development is the full windshield head-up display system, which turns the windshield of the vehicle into a “enhanced vision system.”  Using an array of camera and sensor systems on the vehicle, the driver can be alerted to potential dangers that lie ahead.  Driving in fog, for instance, a driver may find it hard to know where the edge of the road is.  Using sensors, the vehicle can identify the road edge and project it virtually onto the windshield.  For navigation assistance, the windshield can highlight names of locations on street signs to help improve accuracy and, when you arrive at your destination, the building or house can be outlined on the windshield.  When the system says ‘you have arrived,’ you will know exactly where that is.</p>
<p>My team is busy working to assure that future GM cars and trucks are the safest, yet most enjoyable, from the cockpit standpoint.  If the work we do does not provide the experience that the customer has come to expect, then we have failed.</p>
<p>When I’m not toiling away in the lab, I enjoy working out, running, doing basically anything that revolves around fitness and nutrition.  I also enjoy reading and recently finished Richard Ogle’s <em>Smart World: Breakthrough Creativity and the New Science of Ideas</em>and enjoys revisiting Henry William Chesborough’s <em>Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology</em>.  </p>
<p>Secretly, I like to jam out to hip-hop music; I admit that Tupac Shakur is one of my favorite artists.  Good thing I’m equally hard-core about improving the driving experience!</p>
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		<title>Take your Veggies to the Chevy</title>
		<link>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/03/10/take-your-veggies-to-the-chevy/</link>
		<comments>http://www.facesofgm.com/2010/03/10/take-your-veggies-to-the-chevy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:27:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Consumer Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Camaro]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.facesofgm.com/?p=771</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A couple Saturdays ago, our colleague Donna M. in Texas met up with a group of nine Austin food bloggers and their guests for a Chevy road trip down to San Antonio to visit the new Pearl Farmers Market. Invited bloggers included Kristi W. of Austin Farm to Table, Christian B. of Austin Food Journal, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A couple Saturdays ago, our colleague Donna M. in Texas met up with a group of nine Austin food bloggers and their guests for a Chevy road trip down to San Antonio to visit the new <a href="http://www.pearlfarmersmarket.com/">Pearl Farmers Market</a>.</p>
<p>Invited bloggers included Kristi W. of <a href="http://www.austinfarmtotable.com/">Austin Farm to Table</a>, Christian B. of <a href="http://www.austinfoodjournal.com/">Austin Food Journal</a>, Carla C. of <a href="http://austinurbangardens.wordpress.com/">Austin Urban Gardens</a>, Logan and Rachel of <a href="http://www.bootsintheoven.com/">Boots in the Oven</a>, Jennie C. of <a href="http://misohungrynow.blogspot.com/">Miso Hungry</a>, Shannan of <a href="http://lovingaustinliving.blogspot.com/">Riemerville</a>, and Stephanie of <a href="http://stephanieklein.com/2010/03/avgolemono-soup.html">Stephanie Klein.com</a>. Jodi B. of <a href="http://tastytouring.com/">Tasty Touring</a> played co- host as Chevrolet is one of her clients.</p>
<div id="attachment_772" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 234px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-772" title="farmers market" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/farmers-market-224x300.jpg" alt="Carla and Adam shop at Thunder Heart Bison" width="224" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Carla and Adam shop at Thunder Heart Bison</p></div>
<p>The group met at <a href="http://www.capitolchevy.com/">Capitol Chevrolet</a> for breakfast and picked up their vehicles &#8211; a Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado, and a Tahoe. Next stop was <a href="http://www.chucknashautogroup.com/">Chuck Nash</a> in San Marcos to switch cars. They were happily surprised when Mark from Chuck Nash offered to drive their car keys up to Capitol to have the cars washed and detailed while they were gone.</p>
<p><strong>Fun Fact #1:</strong> Capitol Chevrolet and Chuck Nash are owned by the same family &#8211; Capitol Chevrolet is literally the &#8220;sister&#8221; dealership to Chuck Nash, with Nancy Harper at the helm.</p>
<p><strong>Fun Fact #2:</strong> Capitol Chevrolet has doubled as Garrity Motors for filming on NBC&#8217;s &#8220;Friday Night Lights.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_773" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-773" title="readytorumble" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/readytorumble-300x224.jpg" alt="Jennie snags the Camaro for the first leg followed by Kristi and then Christian. Poor Christian was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for much of his turn." width="300" height="224" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Jennie snags the Camaro for the first leg followed by Kristi and then Christian. Poor Christian was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for much of his turn.</p></div>
<p>In San Antonio, road trippers wandered around the Pearl Farmers Market, talking with farmers and vendors, listening to live music, snapping photos, and sampling local foods to take home. We loaded up our <a href="http://www.yeticoolers.com/">YETI</a> coolers with groceries and walked over to <a href="http://www.texasfarmtotable.com/">Texas Farm to Table</a>  for locally-sourced sandwiches and salads.</p>
<div id="attachment_774" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 234px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-774" title="bloggers lunching" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/bloggers-lunching-224x300.jpg" alt="Bloggers from Boots in the Oven, MisoHungry, Austin Food Journal, and Austin Urban Gardens enjoy lunch." width="224" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Bloggers from Boots in the Oven, MisoHungry, Austin Food Journal, and Austin Urban Gardens enjoy lunch.</p></div>
<p>In Jan. 2010, Chevy Texas hosted &#8220;<a href="http://www.screweduptexan.com/2010/01/chevy-fried-davis-fried-pies.html">Chevy Fried</a>,&#8221; a road trip to taste Oklahoma fried pies for a group of Dallas-based bloggers. As with &#8220;Chevy Veggie,&#8221; participants communicated with each other before, during, and after the trip through the #ChevyVeggie hashtag on Twitter, through direct messages, text messages, and cell phone calls. Encouraged to experience the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/siriusxm">XM radio</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/onstar">OnStar</a>, and the many cool features in the cars, they paired Bluetooth-enabled wireless devices to the cars speaker systems for hands-free calling to keep them entertained in the traffic jam on the way back to Austin.</p>
<div id="attachment_779" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-779" title="ladies chatting" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ladies-chatting2-300x224.jpg" alt="I wonder what Shannan, Donna, Rachel and Stephanie are chatting about? Maybe the wonder that is OnStar?!" width="300" height="224" /><p class="wp-caption-text">I wonder what Shannan, Donna, Rachel and Stephanie are chatting about? Maybe the wonder that is OnStar?!</p></div>
<p>For more about the day, check out the latest online:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1320832@N25/">Chevy Veggie Flickr Group</a><br />
<a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23chevyveggie">ChevyVeggie tweets</a><br />
<a href="http://austinurbangardens.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/no-grocery-store-day-57-chevyveggie-tour-pearl-farmers-market/">Austin Urban Gardens blog</a><br />
<a href="http://www.austinfarmtotable.com/2010/03/pearl-farmers-market-bitchin-camaro.html">Austin Farm to Table blog</a><br />
<a href="http://stephanieklein.com/2010/03/riding-in-cars-with-girls-who-talk-like-boys.html">Stephanie Klein blog</a></p>
<p>To stay posted about other upcoming events and Chevy Texas road trips, follow <a href="http://twitter.com/gmtexas">@GMTexas</a> and  <a href="http://twitter.com/chevrolet">@chevrolet</a> on Twitter.</p>
<div id="attachment_776" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-776" title="TXeditionsilverado" src="http://www.facesofgm.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/TXeditionsilverado-300x224.jpg" alt="Everything IS better in Texas." width="300" height="224" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Everything IS better in Texas.</p></div>
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