Doug Spong, founder and former president of Midwest PR giant Spong and former managing partner and president of sister ad agency Carmichael Lynch, has joined Columbus, OH-based PR agency Fahlgren Mortine, where he will serve in an of-counsel role.
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According to Fahlgren Mortine personnel, who announced the appointment Wednesday, Spong will now work with the agency to further refine its market and positioning strategies, and will help spur future growth through business development.
“Doug is a true icon in our industry and someone I’ve respected for a long time,” Neil Mortine, president and CEO of Fahlgren Mortine, told O’Dwyer’s. “I’m so proud to have him involved with Fahlgren Mortine as we position our agency for future growth.”
Spong in November announced his departure from the Minneapolis-based agency that bears his name. A month prior it had been announced that managing director Julie Batliner was the newest president of the Interpublic Group agency, and Spong had transitioned to a president emeritus role.
Spong began his career at Minneapolis-based ad agency Colle+McVoy, which he joined in 1981 and ultimately served as senior vice president, managing director of public relations. In 1990 he teamed up with legendary Minneapolis ad man Lee Lynch to launch Carmichael Lynch, an Interpublic Group unit. Spong also founded PR shop Carmichael Lynch Spong, and led that firm for more than two decades to become one of the most successful PR agencies in the Midwest. That agency in 2014 rebranded as Spong. Current Spong clients include Formica, Jack Link's, Jennie-O, Save A Lot, Thermos and US Bank.
After stepping down from the top executive slot at the agency, Spong in January founded consultancy The Doug Spong Co. LLC.
Full service agency Fahlgren Mortine, which is headquartered in Columbus and maintains 14 additional offices around the country, specializes in tourism, food/beverage, healthcare, technology, beauty/fashion, finance and lifestyle. The agency was founded in 1986 and currently staffs approximately 120. Clients include Airwalk, Cardinal Health, Cooper Tires, K-Swiss, The Limited and Sherwin-Williams.
Fahlgren Mortine in 2015 accounted for net fees of more than $20.5 million, revealing growth of more than 10 percent from the year prior, according to O’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms.
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