Providence’s Lukens Boostrom Clark Design is returning to its graphic design roots a little more than six months after it joined forces with legendary adman Bruce Leonard to become a full-fledged communications company. The parting of Leonard and LBC’s principals has resulted in the laying off of almost a third of LBC’s staff.
Co-owner Robert Lukens insisted that the decision to work with Leonard on a part-time rather than full-time consulting basis was mutual and amicable. He said it stemmed not from a lack of business, but from unanticipated stress on the part of both parties.
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What is once again LBC Design after renaming itself LBC Communications last spring was a direct product of the closing of the prestigious Leonard/Monahan Advertising Agency last February. At that time, the award-winning agency left almost 300 creditors and more than $2 million worth of debt in its wake, as well as clients and out-of-work talent ripe for LBC’s picking.
“Already familiar with leveraging a brand across advertising and design and having been closely aligned with L/M for over a year, we felt all the components were in place to be a unique branding agency with all of the necessary capabilities and some very talented people under one roof,” Lukens said.
“However, after examining the relationship for six months, it became clear that although the model was working quite well for our clients, it wasn’t for the LBC partners or Bruce Leonard. The pressure to maintain such a large structure and the decision to do everything ourselves was limiting our potential for future growth.”
Lukens and his partners, Kenn Boostrom and Scott Clark — to whom Leonard/Monahan owes about $150,000 worth of services unpaid, according to Boostrom — will continue to work with Leonard on occasion. Another 16 employees remain. The six people laid off were a public relations executive and several advertising personnel, Lukens said.
“This is something we’re unhappy about having to do,” Lukens said, adding that the company is working to keep current projects up and running. Future projects will once again focus on providing design support to public relations and advertising agencies, he said.
As for the growing belief among advertising and public relations professionals that a company must provide an array of services to its clients in order to survive, Lukens said he still believes in that model. “But we’re not going to do it. We’re going to be an emergency creative support team.”
“People go into business for themselves because they want to be happy,” he said.
