PepsiCo Announces Upcoming Retirement of Michael White, Vice Chairman and PepsiCo International CEO

PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PepsiCo today announced that Michael D. White, Vice Chairman and PepsiCo International CEO, has decided to retire from PepsiCo later this year after nearly 20 years with the company.

To ensure a smooth transition, White will continue leading the work of planning the integration into PepsiCo of the Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas over the coming months. He also will retain responsibility for the corporate functions of procurement and information technology, as well as for the global concentrate operations function.

Given the importance of PepsiCo International to the corporation's growth plans, its component businesses will continue to be managed by two of the company's most experienced leaders: Zein Abdalla, who becomes chief executive officer of PepsiCo Europe and Saad Abdul-Latif, who becomes chief executive officer of PepsiCo Asia, Middle East, Africa. Both will report to Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer.

In keeping with the company's past practice, White will step down from his seat on the PepsiCo Board of Directors upon his retirement. He has served on the board since 2006.

"Close to a year ago, Mike shared with me his interest in eventually moving on to 'the next chapter' of his life," said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and CEO. "Since then we have been working together to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. Our current international structure reflects that planning, so we're well prepared for this change."

Since joining PepsiCo in 1990 as VP of planning for FLNA, White has held many senior positions, including CFO of Frito-Lay North America, EVP and CFO of Frito-Lay International, CFO of Pepsi-Cola Company worldwide and CFO of PepsiCo. During that time he has helped engineer numerous acquisitions, including the pending agreements to acquire the company's two largest bottlers, the Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas. He has also played a very active role in developing the company's most promising leaders.

"It would be difficult to overstate Mike's contribution to PepsiCo over two decades," Nooyi said. "Among many achievements, he has led a dramatic transformation of our international business, helping to grow total sales outside North America to close to $20 billion, from less than $8 billion in 2003.

"His single greatest legacy, however, may be the strong, self-sufficient teams he has established around the world. Thanks largely to Mike, they are well-equipped to carry on his tremendous record of growth."

"I am deeply honored to have been a part of PepsiCo for so many years," White said. "It has been a great privilege to be a part of the company's growth and success and to work alongside so many outstanding people. I am especially proud to have been able to watch the international business grow and develop to the point where it now has the scale and leadership to contribute to PepsiCo's success for many years."

"Mike's PepsiCo career has been nothing short of remarkable," Nooyi said. "I am very grateful for his contribution, and I wish him the very best in the future."

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsico.com/.

PepsiCo

CONTACT: Dick Detwiler, +1-914-253-2725, dick.detwiler@pepsi.com; or
Lynn A. Tyson SVP, Investor Relations, +1-914-253-3035,
lynn.tyson@pepsico.com, both of PepsiCo

Web Site: http://www.pepsico.com/

USW Ratifies 4-Year Contract with Goodyear

AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced today that a new, four-year master labor contract has been ratified by members of the United Steelworkers union today.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO )

"This agreement reflects the commitment of Goodyear and the USW to continue to work together to achieve our common goal of world-class competitiveness," said Richard J. Kramer, Goodyear's chief operating officer and president, North American Tire.

Kramer said the new master contract and recently completed local agreements, build on significant changes made in the 2003 and 2006 agreements and address the core issues of productivity, compensation costs and flexibility impacting the competitiveness of the company's North American Tire business.

The seven plants covered by the master agreement are in: Akron, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Gadsden, Ala.; Topeka, Kan.; and Union City, Tenn. It covers approximately 10,300 associates.

Goodyear will hold an investor conference call to discuss details of the contract at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 28. Investors, members of the media and other interested persons may access the conference call on the company's investor relations Web site: http://www.goodyear.com/investor or via telephone by calling (706) 634-5954 before 1:55 p.m. that day.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs nearly 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear, go to http://www.goodyear.com/corporate.

Certain information contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, which affect our operations, performance, business strategy and results and could cause our actual results and experience to differ materially from the assumptions, expectations and objectives expressed in any forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: deteriorating economic conditions or an inability to access capital markets; our ability to realize anticipated savings and operational benefits from our cost reduction initiatives or to implement successfully other strategic initiatives; actions and initiatives taken by both current and potential competitors; pension plan funding obligations; increases in the prices paid for raw materials and energy; work stoppages, financial difficulties or supply disruptions at our suppliers or customers; a labor strike, work stoppage or other similar event; our failure to comply with a material covenant in our debt obligations; the adequacy of our capital expenditures; potential adverse consequences of litigation involving the company; as well as the effects of more general factors such as changes in general market, economic or political conditions or in legislation, regulation or public policy. Additional factors are discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. In addition, any forward-looking statements represent our estimates only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our estimates change.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

CONTACT: Media, Ed Markey, +1-330-796-8801, or Keith Price,
+1-330-796-1863, Analysts, Pat Stobb, +1-330-796-6704, all of The Goodyear
Tire & Rubber Company

Web Site: http://www.goodyear.com/

Ritchie Bros. to sell large number of late model equipment items for Rodman Companies and others in Fort Worth unreserved public auctionMost equipment items sold at auction site since September 2007

FORT WORTH, TX, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer, will be conducting a large, three-day, multi-million dollar unreserved public auction at its permanent auction site in Fort Worth, Texas from Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to Friday, September 25, 2009 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day. The upcoming auction marks the fourth auction the Company has held in Fort Worth this year, and the largest number of items featured in a single Fort Worth auction since September 2007.

More than 3,800 items, including a large selection of late model construction and transportation equipment from over 400 equipment sellers, will be sold to the highest bidders on auction day. More items are being added to the auction daily. All items will be sold with no minimum bids or reserve prices.

"We have such a large selection of equipment in this upcoming auction that almost every industrial sector Ritchie Bros. serves is represented," said Kieran Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. "There's simply no other venue than an unreserved auction of this scope and size that can offer equipment buyers such a fantastic line-up of late model, low hour equipment in one place and at one time."

More than 260 late model equipment items are being sold in the auction as part of a major realignment for Rodman Companies LLC, one of the largest excavation contractors based in North Texas. Late model equipment from Rodman includes: crawler tractors, wheel loaders, motor graders, hydraulic excavators, articulated dump trucks, compactors, directional drills, crushers, truck tractors and low-boy, end-dump and vacuum trailers.

"With the state of the economy like it is, we have to downsize our fleet. The issue facing us is the volume of equipment already in the market place," said Mike Flowers, Fleet Manager, Rodman Companies LLC. "To give ourselves the greatest opportunity to sell our equipment for market value, we need to draw the largest audience of buyers possible. Ritchie Bros. emerged as the auction company of choice due to its loyal customer base and ability to attract bidders from all over the world. We are looking forward to auction day to see where all the bidders come from."

Other owners selling equipment in the Fort Worth auction include J K Dozer, United Rentals and Halliburton Energy Services Inc. The range of equipment being sold in the auction includes agricultural tractors, logging equipment, cranes, pickups, and oilfield and pipeline equipment, including over 110 frac tanks used for fracturing oil and gas wells. A 2002 CMI PTD400TPH portable counter flow drum mix asphalt batch plant and components, located off-site in Childress, Texas, will also be sold remotely on Day 2 of the auction using Ritchie Bros. proprietary Virtual Ramp auction method. Interested buyers can bid in person at the auction site, online in real time at http://www.rbauction.com/ or by proxy.

Auction highlights ------------------ Day 1 - September 23, 2009 -------------------------- - 240+ pickups - 110 crawler tractors - 85+ wheel loaders - 55+ rollers - 50+ compactors - 25+ crawler loaders Day 2 - September 24, 2009 -------------------------- - 115+ hydraulic excavators - 115 loader backhoes - 95+ forklifts - 55+ skid steer loaders - 30 trenchers - 25+ rough terrain cranes Day 3 - September 25, 2009 -------------------------- - 370+ trailers - 260+ truck tractors - 110+ frac tanks - 90+ flatbed trucks - 60+ dump trucks Auction details: ---------------- - Location: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers permanent auction site, 6050 Azle Avenue, Lake Worth, TX - Fort Worth auction site phone: +1.817.237.6544 - Time and date: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 to Friday, September 25, 2009 starting at 8:00 a.m. each day - Open to the public; registration to bid is free - Visit the auction site to register to bid in person; photo I.D. is required. First-time bidders from the U.S. and Canada must place a refundable US$1,000 deposit when they register. Customers can inspect equipment during regular business hours leading up to the auction - Internet bidders must register online before auction day at http://www.rbauction.com/; at least 2-3 business days is recommended for first-time internet bidders. - Phone the auction site to place a proxy bid. Phone +1.817.237.6544 - Equipment details, including photos, are available at http://www.rbauction.com/ About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world's largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. The Company has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 39 auction sites worldwide. Ritchie Bros. sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used and unused industrial assets, including equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. The Company maintains a web site at http://www.rbauction.com/ and sponsors an equipment wiki at http://www.ritchiewiki.com/.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

CONTACT: Kim Schulz, Manager, Corporate Communications, Ritchie Bros.
Auctioneers, Cell: (604) 788-5379 or email kschulz@rbauction.com; Or Kieran
Holm, Area Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Fort Worth auction site tel:
(817) 237-6544

Ad Shop Wins Gold, Silver for Tecate Light TV Spots, Silver for Tecate Radio SpotIn a first for the agency, the Tecate Light team takes the top spots in TV and Tecate gets 2nd place in radio at the 11th annual Advertising Age Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards

MIAMI, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Adrenalina, a leading advertising and marketing agency that is part of the MDC Partners network, has been awarded a gold and two silver trophies at the 11th annual Advertising Age Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards in Miami.

In a first for the ad shop, Adrenalina captured the most prestigious award in the television category, winning a gold for best campaign for its Tecate Light "Papas Aguador" spot and winning a silver award in the TV category for Tecate Light's "Papas Medias de Seda" spot.

Both Tecate Light TV spots are part of the 2009 multiplatform campaign mounted in May.

Tecate also picked up a silver award in the radio category for its "Disclaimer" radio spot, which is part of Tecate's 2009 multimedia campaign rolled out in April.

"We don't just make TV, radio ads and billboards, we create emotions that spark conversations in the lives of our consumers every day. Today, thanks to my powerful team-all men and women with caracter-together we celebrate the beginnings of a cultural movement in advertising that realistically portrays the values and perseverance of those who have come here in search of a better life," said Manuel Wernicky, president, chief ideas officer and managing partner, Adrenalina.

Wernicky and Paco Olavarrieta, Adrenalina's chief creative director, accepted the creative award Friday evening (Sept. 18) on behalf of the ad and marketing services shop and the strategic force at Heineken USA led by Carlos Boughton, brand director.

"This groundbreaking campaign, which for the first time acknowledged the impact and contributions that hard working Mexican men with character make every day as part of the American workforce, today recognizes the brilliant creative talent of the hardworking team at Adrenalina," Boughton said Friday night (Sept. 18) when contacted in Las Vegas, where Tecate is headline sponsor of the boxing bout between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 at the MGM Grand.

As the lead agency for Tecate, the win for Adrenalina marks the culmination of a two-year journey with client partner and Tecate brands distributor, Heineken via Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma (CCM), Monterrey, Mexico, to reposition and entrench the brands' respective presence in the marketplace helping to boost sales volume 7.3 percent, per Nielsen Media Research.

Adrenalina recently embarked on its third consecutive creative advertising and marketing programs for Tecate and Tecate Light, with new creative for both expected to roll out in early 2010.

The Advertising Age Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards are awarded in partnership with the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) and are considered the premier showcase of Latino creative talent and Hispanic-targeted advertising across all media platforms, including TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, out-of-home, interactive media, direct marketing, integrated multimedia and nontraditional/guerrilla marketing.

Gold, silver and bronze trophies were bestowed to winning ad shops during a gala award ceremony held Friday night (Sept. 18) at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, as part of the AHAA Fall Conference held Sept. 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency Miami.

Prior to the AHAA conference, Adrenalina's Wernicky also picked up a bronze award for the Tecate radio spot "Disclaimer" from Argentina's Festival Iberoamericano de la Publicidad (FIAP) during a U.S. awards ceremony held Wednesday night (Sept. 16) in Miami honoring the best advertising and production in Spanish.

For more information about Adrenalina, send an email to: news@getadrenalina.com.

About Adrenalina

Like the Spanish word for adrenaline, a hormone generated in the human body when we experience emotions, Adrenalina, New York, creates ideas that provoke engagement, experience and emotion between brands and consumers. The agency specializes in media agnostic ideas, breakthrough advertising, digital innovation and grassroots, retail promotional and channel marketing. Adrenalina, a new kind of agency for a new America, is a minority-owned and managed business.

About MDC Partners

MDC Partners is a leading provider of marketing communications services to clients in North America, Europe and Latin America. Through its partnership of entrepreneurial firms it provides advertising, specialized communications and consulting services to leading brands. MDC Partners' philosophy emphasizes the utilization of strategy and creativity to drive growth for its clients. "MDC Partners is the Place Where Great Talent Lives." MDC Partners Class A shares are publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MDZA."

Adrenalina

CONTACT: Della de Lafuente of Adrenalina, +1-212-261-4836

Karl And Ashley Miller Today Announced That They Have Formally Requested the SEC to Require MMC Energy, Inc., to Disclose Involvement in Material Litigation That Will Reduce the Company's Assets

MIAMI, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Karl and Ashley Miller, through their attorney Mark D. Johnson, today announced that they have formally requested the SEC, through its New York office, to require MMC Energy, Inc., (NasdaqGM: MMCE) to disclose to its shareholders the company's involvement in complex material litigation that will reduce the assets of the company available to distribute to shareholders.

In their letter to the SEC, the Miller's referenced MMC's announcement on Monday, September 14, 2009, that it would be vigorously prosecuting a case filed against Mr. Miller by the company in May of 2008 in Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.

On Monday, September 14, 2009 District Judge Deborah A. Batts, dismissed all of MMC's claims against Mr. Miller except a breach of contract claim related to his Separation Agreement with the company. In their letter to the SEC, Mr. Miller pointed out that as the company Founder he, his wife and family members own a substantial number of shares in MMC.

Due to their family's large shareholdings in MMC, Mr. Miller had agreed to accept less compensation from MMC than his employment contract required, avoiding having the company use its assets in litigation over the precise amount to be paid. As a result, the Millers pointed out in their letter to the SEC, MMC's pursuit of this lawsuit, even if successful, will likely result only in stockholder assets being paid to the law firm of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres and Friedman, LLP without any corresponding benefit to MMC shareholders and without any doubt could never exceed the cost of prosecuting the case.

On Tuesday, September 15, 2009, MMC announced that the shareholders had approved the Company's Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution, and in a similar press release that day, MMC announced that it would be defending Chairman and CEO Michael J. Hamilton and Directors George Rountree, III, and Richard H. Bryan, in a lawsuit the Miller's have filed in Florida. That lawsuit alleges conduct by Hamilton, Bryan, Rountree and Rountree's wife Sylvia in furtherance of their own pecuniary self-interest and as part of a conspiracy to enrich themselves using MMC's assets.

The Millers stated in their letter to the SEC that using MMC funds specifically designated to be distributed to shareholders in under the liquidation plan to defend officers and directors named in the Florida lawsuit was inappropriate, particularly where funds that could have been returned to stockholders were also utilized to procure insurance for the directors against such claims.

In its SEC filings MMC has failed to acknowledge even the existence of these multiple litigation matters or tell shareholders how much it is paying attorneys at the Kasowitz Benson, Torres and Friedman, LLP and other law firms to pursue these cases.

Mark D. Johnson, Esq.

CONTACT: Mark Johnson, Esq., +1-772-223-7700

Web Site: http://www.mdj-law.com/

GENova Bio ends relationship with Bridge BioResearch

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- (OTCBB: GVBP.OB) - GENova Biotherapeutics Inc. ("GENova") today announced that it has ceased the relationship with Bridge BioResearch PLC and unconditionally retract the announcement made earlier this month and GENova further announced that Mr. Anders Bogh Jensen, Chief Science Officer of Bridge BioResearch PLC, will not be serving on the GENova's Scientific Advisory Board.

About GENova Biotherapeutics Inc.

GENova is positioning itself as the world's leading bioscience company in the development and commercial licensing of novel therapeutic proteins that disrupt the advance of life-threatening cancers. The company leverages cutting-edge research collaborations to achieve breakthroughs in anti-cancer treatments, and then licenses these drug product candidates to Big Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies. Visit GENova online at http://www.genovabio.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

This document includes certain statements that may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are expected by the Company to be forward-looking statements. Although GENova believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the success of the owned intellectual property, the strength of the patents, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic market or business conditions.

GENova Biotherapeutics, Inc.

CONTACT: Brian Cook, Windfall Communications LLC, 1-866-797-8703,
info@windfallcommunications.com; Source: Genova Biotherapeutics, Inc.,
1-646-845-1920, info@genovabio.com

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News archive of November 2009
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