Crain’s Autoweek Media Group adds a dozen people in Eastern Market

Crain Communications, the parent company of Crain’s Detroit Business, continues to grow its Autoweek Media Group subsidiary, hiring a dozen as part of the expansion.

Autoweek Media Group, which publishes Autoweek Magazine, recently launched shopautoweek.com. The new online car-shopping start-up utilizes the editorial content of Autoweek Media Group to help auto consumers make informed decisions about the best vehicle that fits their needs and wants. Crain expects that combination to set shopautoweek.com from the rest of the online car shopping sites.

“They’re all very data driven,” says KC Crain, vice president & group publisher for Crain Communications and publisher of Autoweek Media Group. “What we saw was a lack of conversation.”

Autoweek Media Group employs 70 people at Crain Communication’s offices in Eastern Market. About 40 of those employees are working on shopautoweek.com. Crain expects his staff to keep expanding in 2012 to meet increased demand. He points out that shopautoweek.com received 1 million unique views per month and is aiming for 3 million to 3.5 million unique views.

“We’re looking at some pretty good growth in the next year,” Crain says.

Source: KC Crain, vice president & group publisher for Crain Communications
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.