Temerlin Wraps Reorganization

Liener Temerlin, astalwart in Southwestern advertising circles, becomes chairman emeritus of a reorganized Temerlin McClain; Mark Denesuk has been named chief operating officer.

The executive shifts, disclosed last week, resolve the remaining questions swirling around the ongoing absorption of McCann-Erickson’s Southwest unit into Irving, Texas-based Temerlin. The two shops were slated to merge when Temerlin’s parent was bought by the Interpublic Group of Companies this year.

Liener Temerlin, 72, will step back from day-to-day activities at the agency he joined as a copywriter in 1952.

While retaining an office, Temerlin said he plans to spend more time consulting, relaxing at his beach house in Maine and writing non-autobiographical books on advertising “whether they’re published or not or whether anyone would read them if they were,” he said with a laugh.

“I’m leaving the agency in capable hands and I feel very good about that,” Temerlin added.

Dennis McClain remains chief executive of the new agency, with an emphasis on creative and strategic development.

Reporting to McClain are president David Lyon and Denesuk, the former general manager of McCann-Erickson Southwest, which will cease to exist under that name.

Denesuk said his new job will entail servicing the former McCann client base (including Texas Instruments, Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits and Exxon Mobil) while pursuing new business opportunities for Temerlin.

“It’s very consistent with what I’ve been doing previously, just on a grander scale,” Denesuk said.

McCann’s 75 employees in Dallas are scheduled to move into Temerlin’s building at the end of the month.