World-Renowned Auto Designer Provides Motivation, Financial Support for Local Students
17 March 1998
World-Renowned Auto Designer Provides Motivation, Financial Support for Local StudentsNissan Executive Emphasizes 'Creative Priority' at Duke Ellington School WASHINGTON, March 17 -- Jerry Hirshberg, president of Nissan Design International (NDI) -- and a legendary automotive designer -- brought his innovative philosophy east to the nation's capital today, sharing his creative doctrine with students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Hirshberg took a chapter from his new book The Creative Priority: Driving Innovative Business in the Real World and told the students to "unleash their creativity" in every aspect of pursuing careers and dreams. He further demonstrated Nissan's commitment to the designers of tomorrow with a $2,500 donation to help buy educational materials and equipment for the school's art and theatre departments. As founder and president of NDI, Hirshberg is world-renowned for his devotion to creative and innovative thinking in business and in life. He expounds upon these unique approaches in The Creative Priority, which was recently published. Hirshberg speaks from a great deal of experience since his varied creative career encompasses stints as both a classical clarinet player -- as a youth in Cleveland -- and, during college, he was a rock singer with the stage name Jerry Paul in a band that was the opening act for Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Frankie Avalon and others. The NDI facility he manages in La Jolla, Calif. -- though primarily devoted to automotive design -- has contributed to the development of other non-automotive products, including golf clubs, children's pre-school furniture and a yacht. "It's always a privilege to plant philosophical seeds and reinforce the notion of creativity throughout our lives, especially to a group of very talented young people," Hirshberg said. "In addition, I'm delighted that Nissan could provide funding to help this renowned institution as it continues to play a key role in developing some of our future creators and innovators." An award winning public high school in the District of Columbia, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts has received the prestigious Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Education. "People tend to think of auto manufacturing in terms of standard assembly lines," said Donal Leace of the Ellington School. "Mr. Hirshberg opened our eyes as to how creativity extends from vehicle design to every aspect of life." The event was part of the Nissan Neighbors program, a corporate-wide umbrella for Nissan's corporate giving, which was created to demonstrate Nissan's commitment to giving back to the many communities in which it operates nationwide. "We chose the Duke Ellington School because of its success in developing creative minds in an academic setting," said Tim MacCarthy, VP of Government Affairs, Nissan North America. "The school promotes Jerry's principles and implements them very successfully." Nissan employs 12,000 Americans directly and another 61,000 Americans who work at Nissan and Infiniti dealerships. Nissan has invested more than $2 billion in the United States to build facilities for design, research and development, manufacturing, sales and related operations. Nearly 70 percent of the Nissan cars and trucks sold in America are built in America. Additionally, Nissan purchases over $4.2 billion in parts and materials from over 1,000 U.S. suppliers annually. SOURCE Nissan