AUGUST 10, 2005

A Michigan Department of State marketing initiative has been recognized for its effectiveness and resourcefulness by a prominent national organization, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced today.

The campaign, which educates customers about the department’s branch office modernization program, earned the department a 2005 Public Affairs and Consumer Education (PACE) award from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

"Communicating with customers is among our highest priorities," Land said. "The department is committed not only to delivering quality service, but to sharing information in a timely and inclusive fashion as well. We will build on the success of this marketing campaign to ensure that the public is fully aware of the department’s continual advancements. We appreciate this honor and applaud AAMVA for its outstanding support of state initiatives."

The department unveiled its branch modernization program in April 2004. It provides customers with enhanced services and conveniences by better targeting department resources.

The result is a new breed of branch offices called PLUS offices and SUPER!Centers, which offer benefits such as Self-Service Stations for vehicle tab renewals, expanded Wednesday hours, the option for customers to pay at the counter with a Discover credit card, and the ability

for customers to buy their own driving records on-site. SUPER!Centers also offer Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to noon, instant title service and customer service specialists.

The PACE award recognizes the department’s comprehensive and sustained effort to inform the public about these new features. It also acknowledges the department’s creativity in using limited internal resources to communicate the modernization program’s rationale and benefits to the general public, local and state officials, and news media.

The competition involved the states and Canadian province within AAMVA’s Region 3, which are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The award was presented to the department at the AAMVA Region 3 summer conference in St. Louis, Mo.