Restructuring at Riney?

SAN FRANCISCO – In what some observers are seeing as the beginning of an overhaul of Hal Riney & Partners under the direction of its new president Tony Houghton and new national creative director Joe O’Neill, the firm last week instituted a round of lay-offs that pared more than five percent of the staff nationally and included the firing of several long-time employees. In all, 20 of the company’s 330-person staff were fired, with the ax falling hardest in San Francisco, where 13 people were let go.