Ad Agency and MR Firm Merge

Cincinnati advertising agency Freedman, Gibson & White has merged with MR and analysis firm the FocusMark Group. The resulting company will be known as Focus/FGW, and will have 106 employees and annual revenues of about $30 million.

FocusMark's Kim Sharp will be VP and Managing Partner of the new firm, while three execs from FG&W - Tim Gibson, Kim White and John Beard - will work as VPs. All the new company's shares will be evenly split between these four. Leigh Miller, formerly President of FG&W, has sold his share to Sharp but will stay on for a limited time as a consultant.

PR Director Kristy DuSablon says the two companies first began talking about a possible merger when they worked together for a common client, Check 'n Go.

The new company will offer services including strategic planning, custom-designed consumer and market research, predictive analysis, integrated marketing communications, media planning, public relations and interactive services. Neither job cuts nor office moves are expected. The merging firms are online at www.focusmark.net and www.fgw.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.