Directory The SEAMO directory is going to press at the
end of this week, look for your copy to arrive in the near
future.
SEAMO
Holiday Ride Drive This year's event was a success despite Mother Nature's
worst efforts. After the roads thawed and the drive route
was cleared, we braved the elements and completed a total
of 219 drives in 32 vehicles.
Many people commented
on the new dinner venue in the Cask Room of the Winery.
The Cask Room is a very elegant and cozy atmosphere for
enjoying the French inspired cooking, as well as the perfect
place to sip Chateau Elan's famous North Georgia wines.
James
Lewis & Lisa Barrow
Kathy
& Tom Crosby with Brian Warecki
Harold
Allen, Greg Morison, Alvaro Cabal &
John Harper
Doug
& Gene Blythe with Dan Johnson & Ree Hartwell
Linda
Sharp & Amy Schwinge
Jim
& Michelle Tucker
At the end of our
driving event we had several raffle winners:
Bob Kroupa - SEAMO Jacket
Dale Moss - SEAMO Jacket
James Lewis SEAMO Shirt & Jacket
Jim Tucker - Chateau Elan Mug
Jeff Palmer - Chateau Elan Mug
Bill Tilden - Chateau Elan Wine Set
Gene Blythe - KIA MP3 Player
Basil Massey wins
the "Big Kahuna" trophy for driving the most vehicles
(20).
Ride
& Drive Scheduling Given that the Holiday Ride &
Drive is held at a hectic time of year, we are investigating
the opportunity to hold this event at a different time.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please share them
with us.
Industry PR Staff Changes As
many of you may already know, there have been several changes
among the regional PR representatives at many of the major
automobile manufacturers. Stay tuned to future issues of
SEAMO News for in-depth biographies of our new colleagues.
Harold
Allen is Ford's new South Central Regional Public Affairs
Manager
In his position
as manager of the South Central Regional Public Affairs
office, Allen's responsibilities are comprised of media
relations both in newspaper and television. The development
of the Hispanic market has been a key to the success of
this region. The South Central Region is comprised of Texas,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Florida.
Mr. Allen is
a native Californian and his move to Texas was his first
relocation with Ford Motor Company. Allen has handled various
positions including the automobile magazine industry of
which 80% is based in Orange County. California offered
a unique media base due to the fact most were automobile
magazine specific, whereas Texas is more of a newspaper/television
media market.
Prior to coming
to Texas, Allen had overseen the Fabulous Fords Forever
Classic Car show in Southern California for the past 11
years. Over 2200 Ford and Lincoln Mercury products are on
display each year featuring celebrity guests like Jay Leno,
Lindsay Wagner, Dennis Gage from My Classic Car and others
who enjoy classic cars and trucks. This event is held at
Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
A veteran of
more than 25 years, Allen has been involved in more than
60 new vehicle introductions including the Taurus, 1997/2004
F-150 and Thunderbird. In addition to media placement he
has worked with the Ford Motor Company studio placement
program, which supplies vehicles to the motion picture industry.
This is an important function of PR & Marketing, the
idea of vehicle placement was a concept Henry Ford started
many years ago.
In the early
80's Allen worked with the Ford Motor Company's off road
efforts including working with Bill Stroppe and Son who
manufactured custom build off road broncos, F-150 trucks
and specially prepped cars for numerous VIP's and celebrities.
Contact
Info & Links
Here's how to join SEAMO, be added to or removed from the
mailing list, submit news items or photos for upcoming newsletters,
or just make your opinion known.
Send
your comments, complaints, newsletter submissions or mailing
list updates to:
South
East Automotive Media Organization
4429 Back Creek Church Road
Charlotte, NC 28213-5251
Harold
Allen is Ford's new South Central Regional Public Affairs
Manager 
