March 19, 1998
KALAMAZOO -- Edsel B. Ford II, president and chief operating officer of the Ford Motor Credit Co., will make a presentation as part of this year's Haworth College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series at Western Michigan University Thursday, April 2.
He will speak at 6:15 p.m. in the Brown Auditorium of Schneider Hall on "When B+ Is a Failing Grade." He is expected to focus on the changing world of customer expectations and the increasing demands that customers in the information age place upon companies.
Business and community leaders from Southwest Michigan as well as WMU faculty, staff and students will be attending the event. While the lecture is by invitation only, media representatives are welcome to attend. Ford will be available immediately following the lecture to answer questions from the media related to his presentation.
The Ford Motor Credit Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, is the world's largest company dedicated to automotive financing. It provides vehicle financing for some 8 million customers through 11,000 dealers in 35 countries.
Edsel Ford is responsible for directing both domestic and international financing and insurance operations. He joined the Ford Motor Co. in 1974, and served in diverse positions in sales, marketing and advertising. He was elected to the company's board of directors in 1988 and named president of Ford Motor Credit in 1991. He is the great-grandson of Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Co.
The Distinguished Speaker Series is intended to bring business, education and government leaders to campus to discuss a variety of topics of interest to the University and Southwest Michigan. It is coordinated by Dr. Christopher M. Korth, chairman of the Department of Finance and Commercial Law.
Ford's lecture is the final one in this year's series. The 1998-99 Distinguished Speaker Series will open Tuesday, Sept. 22, with an address by Dick DeVos, president of the Amway Corp. in Ada, Mich.
Media representatives interested in attending should reserve a spot by calling Ruth A. Stevens in the Office of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications, at (616) 387-8411.
Media contact: Ruth Stevens; ruth.stevens@wmich.edu
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