Bauerlein Goes Bust in Big Easy; Vitrano, Ex-Staffers Form Agency

The oldest agency in this city, Bauerlein Advertising, has folded in Chapter 7 bankruptcy after failing to overcome Internal Revenue Service debts left by previous owner John Green.
Fifteen employees were laid off, with a handful moving to a new agency called Trumpet, started by Bauerlein president Robbie Vitrano, account supervisor Jim Gradl and art director Pat McGuinness.
The flamboyant Green, who once bragged he would pursue only national accounts, could not be reached. Since leaving Bauerlein in 1994 and declaring personal bankruptcy, he reportedly lives in Atlanta.
Reports of Bauerlein’s financial instability have proliferated since Green opened an Atlanta branch in 1990.