Press Releases

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Chrysler Group LLC announced the appointment of additional members to its Board of Directors, completing the nine-member Board that will provide oversight to the Chrysler Group.

"The formal creation of our Board of Directors is another important step toward building a viable Chrysler Group for the long term," said C. Robert Kidder, acting Chairman of the Board which is expected to hold its first meeting on July 29. "Our board members bring a wealth of talent and experience in areas such as transportation, finance and investing, energy and government. We will work together as a Board of Directors to support Chrysler Group's success to the benefit of all stakeholders."

Kidder, currently Chairman and CEO of 3Stone Advisors LLC, was previously announced to the Chrysler Group LLC Board of Directors on May 20. Joining Kidder on the board are: Alfredo Altavilla, CEO of Fiat Powertrain Technologies; James Blanchard, former U.S. Congressman and Governor of Michigan; George F.J. Gosbee, Chairman, CEO and President of Tristone Capital Inc.; Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group LLC and CEO of Fiat S.p.A; Douglas Steenland, former CEO of Northwest Airlines; Scott Stuart, a founding partner of Sageview Capital LLC; Ronald L. Thompson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA); and Stephen Wolf, Chairman of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.

"While Chrysler Group LLC is a private company, the Board is focused on supplying the strong governance that would be expected of a public company," Kidder said. "We are looking forward to working as a single team to provide the oversight, guidance and expertise that will help make Chrysler Group successful."

Chrysler Group LLC's Board of Directors includes the following individuals:

Alfredo Altavilla is the Chief Executive Officer of Fiat Powertrain Technologies and Senior Vice President of Business Development of Fiat Group Automobiles. He joined Fiat Auto in 1990 as manager of product development, playing roles of increasing responsibility in the field of international ventures and strategic planning.

James J. Blanchard, Partner and Co-Chairman, Regulatory and Government Affairs at DLA Piper, one of the world's largest law firms. He is former ambassador to Canada, served two terms as governor of Michigan and four terms as a member of the United States Congress.

George F.J. Gosbee, Chairman, CEO and President of Tristone Capital Inc., a global energy advisory firm that provides fully integrated investment banking, property acquisitions & divestitures, and global equity capital markets services. Mr. Gosbee founded the firm in 2000, creating a unique model to assist oil and gas companies by combining technical expertise with financial professionals.

C. Robert Kidder, who currently serves on the boards of Morgan Stanley, where he is the lead director, Schering-Plough Corporation, and Microvi Biotech Inc. He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of both Duracell International Inc. and Borden Chemical Inc. and as director of such companies as Electronic Data Systems Corporation and General Signal Corporation. During his tenure with McKinsey and Co. Inc., he worked with a major OEM client in the automotive industry. He currently is Chairman and CEO of 3Stone Advisors LLC, an investment firm that focuses on clean-tech companies.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group LLC since June 2009. Previously, he was appointed Chairman of CNH Case New Holland in April 2006 and CEO of Fiat Group Automobiles in February 2005. He was appointed CEO of Fiat S.p.A. in June 2004 and has been a Member of the Board since May 2003. He is Chairman of SGS Group of Geneva, and among other positions he was CEO of SGS Group of Geneva and was Chairman and CEO of Lonza Group Ltd.

Douglas Steenland, former CEO of Northwest Airlines. He joined Northwest Airlines in 1991 as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. After becoming CEO in 2004, he successfully reshaped Northwest Airlines into a financially viable airline. Mr. Steenland also worked as a Senior Partner at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson, and Hand and served in the Office of the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Scott Stuart, a founding partner of Sageview Capital LLC, and former partner and member of the investment committee at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company (KKR). He currently serves on the board of EverBank Financial Corp., Aveos Fleet Performance Inc. and previously served on such boards as Borden Chemical, Inc., Duracell International Inc., Nabisco, Inc. and Sealy Corporation.

Ronald L. Thompson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA), a for-profit life insurance company that serves the retirement and financial needs of faculty and employees of colleges and universities, hospitals, cultural institutions and other non-profit organizations. He previously owned and operated Midwest Stamping Company of Maumee, Ohio, and rapidly grew the business into a first tier automotive supplier and one of the largest minority-owned companies in the U.S.

Stephen Wolf, Chairman of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. His career in the aviation industry began in 1966 with American Airlines. After positions at Pan American World Airways, Continental Airlines and Republic Airlines, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UAL Corporation and United Air Lines, Inc. from 1987 to 1994. He became Managing Partner of Alpilles LLC in 2003.

About Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 from a global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, produces Chrysler, Jeep(R), Dodge, Mopar(R) and Global Electric Motors (GEM) brand vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler's culture of innovation - first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 - and Fiat's complementary technology - from a company whose heritage dates back to 1899.

Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group LLC's product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler 300, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram. Fiat will contribute world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-sized cars, allowing Chrysler Group to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.

Follow Chrysler news and video on:

Chrysler Connect blog: http://blog.chryslerllc.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chryslercom and www.twitter.com/chrysler

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo

Streetfire: http://members.streetfire.net/profile/ChryslerVideo.htm

SOURCE Chrysler Group LLC

WASHINGTON and NEW YORK, July 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While the new federal anti-foreclosure bill signed by President Obama helps homeowners affected by the current financial meltdown, the bill and its $13.6 billion housing recovery money have ignored the one-third of American households who rent, say former Mayor of New York and Congressman Ed Koch and ex-White House spokesperson Bob Weiner, former Chief of Staff of the House Aging Committee and Koch's former legislative assistant.

Koch and Weiner urge Congress to return Section 8 and public housing to a maximum 30% of income for rent, itself a compromise from the previous law under the Koch amendment in Congress that limited it to 20%. Now, say Koch and Weiner, people are being impoverished and driven to homelessness by being forced to pay as much as 40% and 50% of income as rent.

In an op-ed column in today's New York Daily News, "Renters Across America Need More Help from Congress," Koch and Weiner call renters "The Forgotten Third of America. They too have a dream of having and staying in a home."

Koch and Weiner explain, "When Congress legislated the Housing and Community Development Act in 1974, the original bill including the Koch amendment established that a family should pay no more than 15%-20% of income in federally assisted housing and that a voucher would cover the difference."

"Over the years, this successful program has been whittled away by special interest groups and misdirected priorities. Many families pay upwards of 40% and 50% of their income because they cannot find an apartment that meets the established rent cap. The New York City Housing Authority reports there are 127,825 New York families on the wait list. It shouldn't surprise us that one very immediate consequence of all this is homelessness.

"In Congress, Reps. Maxine Waters and Barney Frank are moving forward with Section 8 housing reform. Congress now must make sure that all citizens, including renters, often the poorest Americans who cannot afford decent housing, have a roof over their heads and a decent home," conclude Koch and Weiner.

Koch and Weiner authored the piece with research assistance by Zoe Pagonis and Bridget Mora.

Link to article: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/07/05/2009-07-05_renters_across_america_need_more_help_from_congress.html

Contact: Bob Weiner/Zoe Pagonis 301-283-0821 or 202-329-1700

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates

Online balloting for final player on each All-Star Team continues through July 9

NEW YORK, July 5 /PRNewswire/ -- American and National League All-Star Team managers Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, have announced the candidates for the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote to be held exclusively on MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball, and the individual Club Web sites.

Fans began casting votes for the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote on MLB.com and the Club sites immediately following today's Major League Baseball All-Star Selection Show presented by Pepsi on TBS and can continue until balloting concludes at 4 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, July 9. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will be announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. Last year's program saw a record 47.8 million votes.

The five candidates for the final roster spot on the 2009 American League All-Star Team are: Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Brandon Inge of the Detroit Tigers; Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers; Adam Lind of the Toronto Blue Jays; and Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays.

On the National League side, the five players on the ballot for the final roster spot are: Cristian Guzman of the Washington Nationals; Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers; Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks; Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants; and Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mobile voting is available exclusively on Sprint capable mobile phones and fans can send the word "Vote" to 1122 to receive the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote ballot. Standard text rates apply. In Canada, fans should text the word "Vote" to 88555.

The All-Star Sprint Game Final Vote program has seen nearly 140 million votes cast since its inception in 2002, including last year's record-setting total when fans chose Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays and Corey Hart of the Milwaukee Brewers. Previous winners of the All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote are: Hideki Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).

Last week, MLB.com announced record totals of 223.5 million votes and 17.8 million ballots for the 16 starting position players via the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Online Ballot, which concluded on July 2.

The 80th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/7:00 p.m. (CDT).

SOURCE MLB.com

SAINT NICOLAS, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - July 5, 2009) - Jacques Gourde, Member of Parliament for Lotbiniere-Chutes-de-la-Chaudiere and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, together with Mr. Claude Robert, Chief Executive Officer, Groupe Robert, invite the media to attend an important announcement concerning the freight transportation sector.

Date:      Monday, July 6, 2009

Time:      10:00 a.m.

Place:     Groupe Robert Headquarters
           1050 Chemin des Oliviers
           Saint Nicolas, Quebec


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
        Transport Canada
        Media Relations, Ottawa
        613-993-0055

Source: TRANSPORT CANADA

OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 07/05/09 -- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, issued the following statement today on the death of a Canadian Soldier.

"I wish to express my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud.

Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud was a valiant and courageous Canadian soldier who died in service to his country and the world community after being wounded in Afghanistan during a patrol June 23.

His sacrifice will never be forgotten and increases Canada's resolve to help the Afghan people in a UN-sanctioned, NATO-led mission.

Thanks to Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, progress and change is taking place in Afghanistan."

Master-Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud is from the 2e Batallion, Royal 22e Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, near Quebec City.

Contacts:
Information: 1-866-377-0811/613-996-2353
After hours: 613-792-2973
www.forces.gc.ca