French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation’s largest independently held public relations (PR), advertising and digital marketing agencies, is taking I-75 to the Motor City with its acquisition of Metro Detroit-based The Millerschin Group (TMG), one of the region’s leading mobility and transportation-focused PR and integrated marketing agencies.
TMG was founded in 2000 by Erin Millerschin, the daughter of automotive and business journalist David C. Smith, former editorial director at Ward's Auto and automotive reporter for The Wall Street Journal. It is presently an eight-person firm that counts Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Eaton, LG Energy Solution and SMAC Corporation among its many clients powering mobility and manufacturing across the globe.
Erin Millerschin, president, and John Millerschin, chief operating officer, will be partnering with the Southeast’s largest independently owned firm and an agency that has long had its sights set on the Metro Detroit region. FWV Chairman and CEO Rick French is a Detroit-area native who spent the early part of his PR career in the city and has stayed active in the region through Detroit Homecoming, an annual gathering of ex-pats who have worked to support the economic and social renaissance of their hometown.
FWV and TMG closed the acquisition on Dec. 30, 2022, and TMG will continue to operate under its existing brand and leadership structure as an FWV agency, joining AMP3 PR (New York City), CGPR (Boston), FWV Fetching (Tampa) and Prix Productions (Los Angeles) under the FWV umbrella.
FWV is a 25x National Agency of the Year recipient headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., that was founded in 1997 and has ranked as the largest independently held PR firm in the Southeast for nearly two decades, per every major PR trade publication.
“We are so excited to be partnering with Erin and John and their outstanding team at TMG,” says French. “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to plant the FWV flag in the Motor City for more than a decade, but it had to be the right fit, with like-minded people. TMG has an outstanding reputation in the mobility and B2B sectors, both of which we view as growth opportunities for the agency, especially with so many automotive manufacturers and first-tier suppliers having already established significant operations in the South.”
“We feel very fortunate to join the FWV family,” adds Erin Millerschin. “The firm has demonstrated top-tier results for organizations across a broad spectrum of industries which will elevate the counsel and services we can provide clients.”
