This article originally appeared in the April 1 issue of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Republished by permission.

(April 1, 2006) — Martino Flynn, ranked No. 29 on the 2005 Rochester Top 100, was created nearly a decade ago when an advertising agency owned by Ray Martino merged with one owned by brothers Christopher and Kevin Flynn. The three are partners in the Perinton business.

Since the merger, the company has reached new heights. For Kevin Flynn, a mountain climber, those goals have equaled the mountains he has touched, including Mount Everest, Mount McKinley and Kilimanjaro. Here are some of Kevin’s thoughts about the evolution of the company — and the industry — as well as the agency’s future and its relationships with clients.

Your dad, Jerry, was founder of the Flynn portion of the agency. He was one of the best-known Rochesterians (toastmaster par excellence) and could probably sign a client with a handshake early in his career. How much has the business changed from those early days?

A lot has certainly changed, but many things have stayed the same. It's still a people business. We refer to our best client/agency relationships as "Partners and Pals." That's how my dad ran his business. You have to do great work for your client, but it's important to be friends as well. Our dad passed away a couple of years ago and retired from the ad business in the mid-'80s. But all through his quasi-retirement, we sought out his business advice. He was a great sounding board, especially on ethical issues. So I always felt there was continuity with him. We miss him every day.

Of course, so much has changed. Local media are no longer locally owned. Technology has made us much faster and more efficient. The speed of business continues to accelerate but great ideas still take time. Plus, the nature of the advertising business is changing. Consumers are gaining more control on how and where they receive information about their favorite brands. It's an exciting time to be in this business.

What drove the merger between yourselves and Ray Martino?

We got together in early '97, but we had known each other since 1990. It made a lot of sense because Chris and I were focused in broadcast accounts at the retail and consumer level while Ray's group was focused more on business-to-business print and PR accounts. Coming together allowed us to be an integrated marketing communications firm.

One of your big successes was Dick's Sporting Goods. Then you lost the account for a while before you got it back. How did that happen?

We started working with Dick's in 1992 when they had just seven stores. Today they have 255 stores in 34 states. In 1996, Dick's put the account up for review. A large international agency won the business. Chris and I were very disappointed. But after a couple of years, we were fortunate to receive a phone call from them. We were asked to work on a project and that quickly grew back into an agency relationship. I'm glad we listened to our dad when he said, "Never burn any bridges."

Did you and Chris literally grow up wanting to be in the business and did either of you ever consider anything else to do for a living?

I think Chris always knew he wanted to be in this business. In fact, when he was 8 years old, he got his first advertising gig. My dad cast him as the voice of a little Honda Civic in a radio spot for a local Honda dealer. The vehicle had just been introduced in the U.S. He did a great job and earned a whopping $50 — pretty good money for an 8-year-old back in 1971.

I actually wanted to do something outdoors. Forest ranger or nature interpreter were my top choices.

I've always loved the outdoors. But a string of events (i.e., I couldn't get a real job) landed me as an intern at my dad's agency. After a year with him, I got a master's degree in communications from Cornell and went back to work at the agency. So in a way, I've never gotten a real job.

How much as the firm grown in size and employment since the merger?

The merger was probably the smartest thing we've ever done. Chris, Ray and I all get along famously. We've gone from 10 employees with billings of $4.5 million to 52 employees with $40 million in billings. So something seems to be working pretty well.

What is the secret to signing a client and to retaining one?

If I knew that answer, I'd write a book, make a fortune and sail off into the sunset. Actually, those two questions go hand-in-hand.

We work so hard to get a new client. Once we win, there's little time for celebration because now we have to solidify our relationship with the new client.

We've got to do great work while enjoying the process. We've got to take our honeymoon with the client and develop it into a strong, long-lasting marriage.

New business is hard work and it's a core value of this agency.

We have senior people dedicated to the function and we keep our pipeline of prospects full. It's ongoing 52 weeks a year.

Many agencies pay lip service to new business. They start doing it when their business is hurting. At that point, it's often too late.

Give us a glimpse into the future of Martino Flynn.

We have a rolling five-year plan. That's as far as we look forward, anyway. We have an annual five-day, off-site strategic retreat led by Tom Bonadio of Bonadio & Co.

We've been doing this for six years and it has been an invaluable planning tool for our agency.

Tom knows businesses and entrepreneurialism. He knows how to grow businesses. So in five years, we plan to grow at 15 percent to 20 percent a year.

— Frank Bilovsky