Mower Elevates Stephanie Crockett to President and Chief Executive Officer

By Kyle O'Brien 

Independent agency Mower has named Stephanie Crockett its president and chief executive officer. Crockett assumes the CEO title from Eric Mower, who becomes executive chairman of the agency that he has guided since 1968.

Crockett joined the marketing communications agency based in Syracuse 18 years ago and was named president and chief operating officer of the company in June 2021.

In August 2022, Eric Mower sold the company to a newly established employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Naming Crockett CEO marks the most recent point in a lengthy ownership transition and succession plan that began nearly 10 years ago.

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“Mower continues to build on a 55-year heritage as an independent strategic creative resource for our clients. Eric created something unique—an integrated communications firm producing award winning campaigns for an amazing list of clients,” Crockett said in a statement. “Our industry continues to evolve, and now as an ESOP, Mower is structured to flourish in this new environment.”

Crockett is active in a number of professional, business and community organizations. She is immediate past-chairperson of the United Way of Central New York board of directors, a member of the CenterState CEO board of directors, the Women Presidents Organization and the National Advertising Review Board. She will also receive the Central New York Sales & Marketing Executives 2023 Crystal Ball Award, an honor that Eric Mower received in 1984.

“Stephanie Crockett is our time-tested and most evident candidate to head a group of strong and competent leaders at Mower for the future. She is a consummate professional that has my trust as well as the trust of our staff and our clients,” Eric Mower said in a statement.

Mower is coming off a successful 2022. In recent months Mower was selected as the ANA Mid-Sized Agency of the Year; listed among the PRNews Agency Elite Top 100 and Chief Marketer CM200; named as a PRWeek Best Places to Work; and ranked again on City & State’s Political PR Power 50.

The rest of the agency’s executive leadership team remains in place, including Doug Bean, vice chairman; Chris Steenstra, chief administrative officer; Cheryl Duggan, chief financial officer; Doug Kamp, chief creative officer; and Rick Lyke, executive vice president, managing director, public relations and public affairs.

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