Ross Roy Management Shuffle Sees Morin Return to Griswold By Jim Kirk with David Kile

CLEVELAND - Even before he has had a chance to unpack his boxes as Ross Roy's new president, Peter Mills already is shaking the

Last week, the agency confirmed that Ross Roy Advertising president Patrick Morin has returned to head his former agency Griswold, a Cleveland-based Ross Roy subsidiary, as chairman and ceo.
Morin had run Griswold during the 1980s, but left in 1991 to become president of Ross Roy Advertising. At that time, Richard Ward, former executive vp/general manager of Ross Roy Communications, the division that oversees Ross Roy’s Chrysler advertising business, was elevated to president of the unit. Both promotions were seen as setting up a line of succession to agency chairman/ceo Glen Fortinberry.
At the time of Morin’s promotion to Ross Roy, Fortinberry boosted the top executives in an effort to help execute its integrated marketing. Since then, Ross Roy Group has whittled down its nine different divisions to six, including Griswold and its communications division.
Under the latest shakeup, all of Morin’s accounts, including the local Domino’s Pizza business, will now report directly to Mills.
‘I have been involved with Griswold ever since I went to Ross Roy, so this isn’t a big move’ Morin said last week. ‘This is actually a better assignment.’
Morin’s return to Griswold removes a layer from what has been a top-heavy agency, according to Ross Roy insiders. Morin had only roughly four or five accounts that were considered part of Ross Roy Advertising, and with Mills coming in, there wasn’t a need to have a president of the division. Besides the local Domino’s business, Ross Roy Advertising also handles La-Z-Boy Chair, Ameritech Publishing, and NBD Corp., among others.
Insiders believe Ward most likely will retain his position as president of Ross Roy Communications, mainly because of his ties to client Chrysler. The division specializes in promotional marketing, telemarketing, fulfillment, and direct response projects, among others, and is Ross Roy’s main link to Chrysler. It also was one of the main reasons BBDO had been courting Ross Roy earlier this year.
Still up in the air is what may happen with Ross Roy Group executive vp Bruce Wagner who, with Morin, had been seen as contenders for the post Mills was tapped to fill.
Griswold, a $50-million shop whose client list includes Royal Appliance Co., Sherwin-Williams and Arby’s, among others, has been run by Jeff Weber, executive vp/general manager. He will now concentrate on a select group of clients.
Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)