PPG, Penn State's Smeal College To Develop Innovative Professional Development Series

6-23-97
University Park, Pa.-- PPG Industries and Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration today announced an agreement to develop an innovative professional development program for PPG's key marketing professionals.

PPG's marketing strategy steering team will join with The Smeal College's Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) and Penn State Executive Programs to create a series of focused courses in business marketing to be launched this year at PPG sites. Courses will be offered on a pilot basis with ongoing participation by PPG marketers in the U.S. and abroad continuing in 1998 and beyond.

ISBM and Penn State Executive Programs will mobilize a world-class faculty to participate. Professors from The Smeal College, Babson College, McMaster University, Georgetown University and others are expected to be involved.

The program being developed by Smeal and PPG cover the following areas:
--Value and pricing strategy
--Segmentation marketing in business markets
--New programs for business and industrial markets
--Competitive analysis and intelligence
--Value chain analysis
"We are very excited about the opportunity to work with PPG in implementing this program," said Ralph Oliva, executive director of ISBM. "This may be an important step in building what we call a `virtual university partnership' with PPG. We hope to build on this foundation to further collaboration in research, professional development and networking. In a virtual partnership, the extended resources of the University and its institute affiliates are mobilized to work in tandem with a business team in flexible development programs."

Said Ben Fisher, PPG's director of corporate marketing, "This is the most extensive marketing development program ever implemented at PPG. An increased emphasis on marketing will be fundamental to PPG's business over the next few years. We will be working with Penn State to build the tools and techniques that will enable us to achieve our business goals.

"We selected the Institute for the Study of Business Markets primarily because of its special focus on business-to-business marketing which addresses our key needs," Fisher said.

"To succeed in today's turbulent markets, marketing professionals literally must have new tools and techniques every day," said Oliva. "At the ISBM, we partner with a wide variety of member firms to help professionals get better at what they do, ahead of market need. We are excited about this program, and even more excited about its potential outcomes for PPG and its customers."

A leading global manufacturer, PPG Industries supplies an array of products for the automotive, manufacturing, construction, and chemical processing markets. Established in 1883, this diversified, Pittsburgh-based company makes protective and decorative coatings, flat glass, fabricated glass products, fiberglass, and chemicals.

PPG has about 100 manufacturing facilities, as well as six research and development facilities worldwide. The company, which employs 31,300 people, had net sales of $7.2 billion in 1996.

The Institute for the Study of Business Markets is an industry-supported center of excellence focused on improving the practice of business-to-business marketing. Founded in 1983, the ISBM is underwritten by more than 40 major corporations and research affiliates worldwide.

Penn State Executive Programs is among the international leaders in leadership and organizational development. Last year, it served 1,200 business people from 325 companies and organizations around the world. Custom programs have helped Fortune 500 firms make major strategic changes. International programs have been delivered in the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Ecuador.

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For further information: Charles C. DuBois, (814) 863-3798