The partners of the Farmington public relations firm Durham Group are turning over their book of business and merging with Glastonbury-based Cashman & Katz Integrated Communications.
The combined firms, beginning Aug. 1, will operate under the Cashman & Katz name.
Just half of Durham Group’s remaining staff will join Cashman. Durham partners, Jeff Durham and Eric Cavoli will become, respectively, senior vice president/group creative director and vice president/creative director at Cashman & Katz. Additionally, Durham’s Mike Lecours will join Cashman as a senior account executive.
Cashman & Katz currently has a staff of 21.
Durham Group’s notable clients include MassMutual Financial Group, The United Illuminating Co., PNC Bank, and several Connecticut state agencies — the Department of Health, Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Transportation.
Cashman & Katz’s client portfolio includes the CT Lottery, CT Children’s Medical Center, CT Department of Transportation, Connecticut Bank & Trust Co., and The Hartford Courant/CT 1 Media.
President and CEO Tony Cashman said the deal will now bring Cashman & Katz’s annualized capital billings to $46 million, ranking the company as a top four full service advertising and public relations firm in Connecticut, and in the top 12 in New England.
“While doing strategic and growth planning, we felt it was important to review new and innovative ways to add to our creative and strategic resources at C&K,” Tony Cashman said.
“Durham Group not only has a well-earned reputation in those areas,” he said, “the talents and capabilities of their senior leaders nicely complement our own. This is an ideal way to grow our company, while at the same time strengthening our capabilities and service offerings for our clients.”
According to the 2009 Hartford Business Journal Book of Lists, Cashman & Katz was the fifth largest public relations firm in the region and had 25 employees, while Durham Group was ranked as the eighth largest firm and a dozen employees.
