Last night we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Ervin & Smith. It was one heck of a party. We toasted our founder, Doug Smith, who started this company with the goal of more autonomy for himself and the hope of making enough to feed his family. Boy, did he succeed.
Over the years, he led the firm as it grew and evolved, learning how to do things better, faster and smarter than the larger agencies. And today, with a team of very talented experts, we are known in our community as one of the best places to work, to grow your career and to make an impact.
We have a lot to celebrate! But last night we shared one more bittersweet reason: at the end of the year, Doug is retiring from his role as Chairman of the Board. He’s asked me and our CFO, Brittany Wozny, to buy the company…and we said yes!
We’re forming a partnership with our Chief Client Officer, Katie Herzog, and our Chief Marketing Officer, Ashley Bails to lead the company into our next era.
When the four of us took over the agency two years ago, we knew the remarkable legacy we were being asked to carry forward.
We spent those past two years implementing a new operating philosophy and structuring the company to better serve the current needs of C-suite executives. And we solidified our specialty in using marketing to solve complex business problems while helping other executives navigate the ever-changing business world.
Today, we salute Doug’s success in building this absolute dream of a company. We are so honored for the trust he’s placing in us to take it into the future.
Here’s to Ervin & Smith, yesterday, today and tomorrow. We can’t wait to see what happens next.
– Leanne
