RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 6, 2023) — French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation’s largest independently held PR, advertising and digital media agencies, today announced it has promoted John Tews to senior vice president and general manager and has hired Erika Hoeft as vice president of its Detroit office. Tews and Hoeft are both part of The Millerschin Group (TMG), a division of FWV, which recently relocated its operations to the Julian Madison Building in Downtown Detroit.
FWV also announced that TMG Founder Erin Millerschin and Chief Operating Officer John Millerschin are retiring from the agency at the end of the year. Both will remain as consultants to FWV, which acquired TMG, a mobility and transportation-focused public relations and integrated marketing agency, in December 2022.
“We added TMG to our agency family to increase our manufacturing client base, as well as to show our commitment to the City of Detroit,” said FWV Chairman & CEO Rick French, a Detroit-area native. “We have been executing this succession plan for a year to ensure we have a seamless transition. We’re confident in John’s ability to lead TMG and have Erika join the team during this exciting time of growth for our agencies.”
Tews joined TMG in 2017, managing many of the agency’s largest accounts. He previously served as director of corporate communications at J.D. Power and Associates and as a public affairs officer in the U.S. Air Force. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, Michigan.
Hoeft joins TMG from the American Dental Association (ADA) in Chicago where she served as communications manager. Prior to the ADA, she held various public relations roles of increasing responsibility for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry in Chicago. Hoeft began her agency career with Ruder Finn (Finn Partners) in Chicago, eventually rising to vice president, before pivoting to corporate and association work. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
“The partnership with French/West/Vaughan and The Millerschin Group has been a great success,” said TMG COO John Millerschin. “Being part of FWV has enabled us to expand offerings to our clients, which has already helped grow our footprint in Detroit.”
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is one of the nation’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agencies. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and founded in April 1997, FWV has received 30 Global or National Agency of the Year honors over the past quarter century, along with more than 1,600 PR, advertising and digital marketing awards on behalf of its global roster of blue-chip clients, which include Wrangler, ABB, Proximo, Melitta, Teen Cancer America, Mitsubishi Electric, N.A. and the N.C. Department of Transportation, among others. FWV is the parent company of fashion and lifestyle PR firm AMP3 (New York City); mobility and transportation-focused agency The Millerschin Group (Detroit); pet and animal health practice FWV Fetching and feature film development imprint Prix Productions. FWV is a partner in IPREX, a $380 million network of communication agencies with 1,600 staff and 110 offices worldwide. For more information, visit fwv-us.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo or Instagram.
