LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 14, 2012) – Carl Brazley, owner of Mo’ Better Marketing, has acquired New West, one of the state’s largest public relations and advertising agencies.
Brazley purchased the company from Tom Howell and Becky Simpson, who had owned the firm for more than 10 years. The acquisition, which places New West among the largest African-American-owned ad agencies in the country, was effective Sept. 1.
Simpson left New West in May 2011 and has served as the University of Louisville’s senior associate vice president for communications and marketing since that time. Howell will now serve as managing director of New West; Brazley is CEO. The staff of Mo’ Better, 3610 Lexington Road, will move to New West’s offices at the Springs Office Building, 950 Breckenridge Lane, by the end of the year.
While the merged company will continue as New West, Brazley and Howell said the Mo’ Better name will live on until it fulfills its current contracts.
The merger cements a lengthy relationship between New West and Mo’ Better, which had worked together for years on a multitude of projects, including the Louisville Airport Improvement Project and various projects for TARC.
Brazley said the new company will be stronger and more competitive on many fronts.
“We knew that New West had deep experience and incredible talent as well as opportunities that we at Mo’ Better had not had a chance to be a part of,” he said. “But we bring a unique perspective, including our ability to identify and hear people of diverse cultures and small businesses.”
In 2009, New West became the only full-service advertising/PR agency in the state to be awarded a federal General Services Administration contract, the result of a rigorous review of its operations to ensure it met the government’s high standards of service. The GSA contract gives companies special bidding privileges and allows federal agencies to purchase some services directly without going through the lengthy bidding process. With Brazley heading up the agency, New West will now be designated a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, which will allow the agency to pursue even more contracts.
There will be no layoffs. The combined agency includes 17 full-time and 6 part -time employees.
New West was founded in 1971 as Wenz-Neely Public Relations before adding advertising, marketing, graphic design and event management to its mix of services. In 1989, it was acquired by Shandwick. Simpson and Howell bought the company from Weber Shandwick Worldwide in 2002.
New West was responsible for creation and implementation of the popular Unbridled Spirit brand for the state of Kentucky in 2004. New West continues to handle many of state government’s communications needs. Some of New West’s other major clients include Hosparus, Stites & Harbison, General Electric and Floyd Memorial Hospital.
Brazley founded Mo’ Better in 1995 after a 13-year career playing professional football in the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. Mo’ Better’s clients include Community Transportation Systems, Kentucky State University, Christian Care Communities and Kilimanjaro Foods.
Visit New West online at www.newwestagency.com.
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