On Monday, we reported about the leadership situation at Engine Company 1, which did indeed lose partners Wayne Buder and Vince Engel, though their departures weren’t as dramatic as some have been alleging. Yesterday, we received some clarification on the matter from the San Francisco agency’s partner/CD Scott Aal (pictured, left) who tells us that the Buder (pictured, right), who last served as partner/president, left “of his own volition” and that “his decision to pursue other business interests was based on his own personal and professional desires.” You might recall from our earlier post that Buder’s desire right now is to serve as a “business therapist.”
As for Engel, who served as partner/creative director alongside Aal, the latter fills us in on the fact that he actually left his post last fall after accepting an offer to help run the advertising program at Academy of Art–though he still continues to consult with Engine Co. 1 on “two significant pieces of business.” We’ll check on what two exactly (Update: Monterey Bay Aquarium and the San Francisco 49ers). Aal adds, “We are indebted to both Vince and Wayne for the enormous roles they played in the founding of Engine Company 1, for the agency’s success over the past 3.5 years, and in particular for their efforts in 2012 even as they were contemplating career moves; in fact, 2012 was EC1’s healthiest year yet. Wayne and Vince will be missed.”