Some of the staff and most of the clients of Ian Roberts Ross Roy are now part of a new MacLaren Lintas unit called Campbell & Partners Communications.
Former Ian Roberts majority owner, president and chief executive officer Barry Campbell is president of the new division.
Michael Vasquez, Ian Roberts senior vice-president and partner, is vice- president.
Last month, Solcom Group, the holding company of Ian Roberts Ross Roy, declared bankruptcy and the agency was put into the hands of a trustee Dec. 15.
Campbell says after the closure he was encouraged by Ian Roberts clients, particularly Molson Breweries, a client shared with MacLaren Lintas, to keep a core team together to continue to work with them.
Along with Molson’s Take Care responsible drinking business, Armstrong World Industries Canada, The Keg Restaurants and Miele Appliances have already signed on with Campbell & Partners.
Campbell lost the Ian Roberts Ontario Lottery Corporation account because it is no longer a Canadian-owned firm.
Ben Werbski, senior manager of corporate advertising and communications for Canon Canada, says no decision has been made about how to handle the fax and copier business that had been with Ian Roberts.
Former Ian Roberts staff members Connie MacEachern and Helen Pispidikis have joined Campbell & Partners on the account side, while the team of Peter Whitehead, art director, and Krystyna Siluszyk, writer are handling the creative needs.
Campbell began winding down Ian Roberts last November after losing two major accounts, Kmart Canada and Fuji Photo Film Canada, worth about $12 million in billings.
