Saab History Interviews Former Saab Cars USA PR, Dan Prescott (1994-2005)

Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by Ryan in 2000-2009, Norcross, Georgia

Photo Credits: Dan Prescott / SCUSA

Dan Prescott, the former Saab Cars USA PR representative that worked from 1994 until 2005 in Norcross, Georgia, has provided Saab History with a wonderful summary of his experience over the years. Prescott, now a freelance journalist, worked under the Jim Crumlish, Joel Manby, Dan Chasins, and Debra Kelly-Ennis eras of leadership while working with Saab in the United States.

An avid Saab fan prior to working with Saab Cars USA, his enthusiasm was genuine. I had the privilege of meeting him at the 2001 Boston Auto Show where Saab showcased the 1st facelift of the Saab 9-5 Sedan & Wagon models.

This writeup really shows that there were many Saab enthusiasts working as employees, that had a true interest in keeping Saab Automobile going here in the United States over the years.

A sincere thank you goes to Dan for providing this piece as well as the incredible photos today!

Dan Prescott

Aug. 1994 to June 1998
Product Information & Publications Specialist

June 1998 to May 2001
Auto Show & Literature Manager

May 2001 to Jan. 2005
West Coast PR representative

Saab History: When and why did you start working for Saab Cars USA?

Dan Prescott: While I was working as automotive editor for AAA AutoTest, the auto club’s annual book of new-car reviews, I was invited to the introduction of the 1995 Saab 900 Turbo Coupe. It’s at that event where I met Elke Martin, Saab Cars USA’s PR manager. A month or so later, I got a call from her asking if I would be interested in leaving the editorial world behind and joining the Saab PR team as a product specialist. It was a tough decision, but I have a master’s degree in journalism with a PR concentration, so it was definitely a field I was interested in. Plus, I was a big enthusiast of Saabs as fun-to-drive, well-engineered European performance cars. In fact, I was a long-time Saab fan, having test driven and written about Saabs ever since I lived in Germany in the late ‘80s writing for a car magazine targeted at U.S. military.

So I accepted and moved to Atlanta in August 1994. My job title was Product Information & Publications Specialist, responsible for interactions with media, press releases, press kits and two quarterly magazines: Saab Soundings, the owners’ magazine, and Saab Prospects, a publication for Saab dealerships. The best part of the job was that it was always changing, not only throughout the work day, but every week would bring new projects and challenges. Initially, we were a three-person team: Elke Martin, who is an amazing PR pro, Lisa Aloisio (formerly Uhl), who could effectively juggle more tasks than almost anyone I knew and myself. We launched the Saab 900 Convertible, the Saab 9000 CD sedan and then the Saab 9-3 and 9-5.

Saab History:Did you change your position ever during that time, if so, what did you do?

Dan Prescott: In August 1998, I accepted a new position at Saab Cars USA as Auto Show and Literature Manager, which was a fast-paced position that I really enjoyed. I worked much more closely with folks at Saab Sweden, such as Goran Andersson, the international auto show manager. Goran was a great inspiration and lots of fun, as he has incredible passion for the brand and was always adamant about presenting Saab in exactly the right way, right down to the smallest details. He could be hard to work with at times, but I still have tremendous respect for his knowledge and enthusiasm. General Motors purchased the remaining 50% of Saab in 2000, which brought on a host of changes, including incorporating the Saab auto show displays into the GM corporate exhibition. We managed to retain enough creative autonomy so that we had control over how the Saab exhibit would look, but made it so that it integrated well within GM. Highlights included artistic displays that we created with glass floors and giant blocks of ice to give an ambiance of Scandinavia and nature.

In late 2000 and early 2001, Saab was forced to cut its expenses (again) and reduce headcount – which means to let some people go. The PR team had been talking about the advantages of having regional PR representation, especially on the West Coast. So I put together a proposal on how I could be Saab’s West Coast PR person as an independent contractor. That accomplished two goals for the company: reduced headcount and greater PR exposure. I moved to the San Diego area in May 2001 and developed some great relationships with journalists from Denver to Seattle to San Francisco and LA. We launched the second generation 9-3 and eventually, the Subaru-based Saab 9-2X – a great little car, although a questionable strategy for Saab.

Saab History: During your time with Saab Cars USA, what were the high points, low points, memorable events and activities. Did you make good friends with anyone along the way?

Dan Prescott: One great thing about working with Saab when it was headquartered in Norcross, is that there such a supportive, small-company mentality. There were only about 120 employees, and it was easy to get answers directly from the right person. For example, if I needed to locate a special car for the press fleet or an auto show, I could walk over to the cubicle of the person who could find that car and help make it happen. Product planning folks were around the corner; technical assistance was just across the room, etc.

Difficult times were when budgets were cut, cool, ambitious projects were canceled and people were let go. Saab was always lean, but seemed to get gradually leaner. I hate the term “lean and mean,” because being lean shouldn’t automatically imply meanness.

I worked with some terrific people, many of whom I still stay in touch with, such as Steve Janisse, a former Saab PR manager who is now at Saturn. Steve always made events fun. Or Kevin Smith, Saab’s former PR director, who absolutely loved Saabs and their technological details. Kevin went on to work for Cadillac and now has a new gig with Lotus, back in Atlanta. Eric Geers, who is the current head of Saab communications in Sweden, was based in the U.S. for many years. Eric has an incredible sense of humor and could make me laugh like nobody I ever worked with.

Saab History: Lastly, what made you leave when you did? Was it hard, difficult, easy, etc?

When Saab moved its headquarters from Norcross, GA, to the Renaissance Center in Detroit, they let me know that my duties would need to be handled by GM’s regional PR team in Thousand Oaks, CA. So my full-time job ended in January, 2005, although I continued to do some project work with Saab and GM, including a year-long PR initiative in 2007 to promote the Chevy Volt and GM’s technologically advanced “green” technologies. It was disappointing to leave Saab and abruptly stop promoting Saab via a PR network that I had built in the West over several years, knowing that GM would not be able to assign one person in the West as the “go-to” person for Saab. Plus, they didn’t have the product knowledge and enthusiasm for Saab that I had. But, overall, I look back at my 11 years with Saab as a tremendous experience working for a great company. I wish it didn’t have to end! And I hope that Saab is able to rebuilt itself and continue to produce great cars in the decades ahead.

Dan Prescott
3/15/2009

Tags: Atlanta, Debra Kelly-Ennis, Denver, LA., Norcross, Saab History, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Subaru