Gaynor Buys Shop in San Diego; Gaw Leaves Times for Analyst Post
Irvine-based RiechesBaird Advertising is the only OC shop shooting for an estimated $15 million to $18 million advertising account with b2bstores.com in Long Beach. The short list also includes Grey Advertising Inc. in Los Angeles and Moss/Dragoti in New York.
“We are putting all our heavy hitters on this pitch,” said partner Ray Baird.
The e-commerce site, which intends to launch its IPO in the next two weeks, targets small businesses with supplies ranging from computers and furniture to janitorial supplies, Baird said. Baird’s agency will present its pitch next week.
The OC ad shop, which had an estimated $30 million in 1999 billings, plans to shift its focus to companies that make high-stakes business decisions, have challenger brands and exhibit a willingness to embrace technology, Baird added.
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OC native Diane Gaynor, best known in these parts as the spokeswoman for the Santa Margarita Company/Rancho Mission Viejo, is now heading up a PR business in San Diego with her partner, Jane Wheeler.
Gaynor and Wheeler bought Roni Hicks & Associates, a 20-year-old agency with 13 employees and $3 million in 1999 billings, last April. The ad shop’s clients are mainly real estate companies and masterplanned community developments including: Rancho Mission Viejo’s Ladera Ranch east of Mission Viejo; 4 S Ranch just west of Rancho Bernardo, by Genstar; Cielo, a gated estate community in Rancho Santa Fe; and The Villages of La Costa by Morrow Development in southern Carlsbad.
“We have clients in the Inland Empire, Orange County and San Diego County, so we cross all county lines,” Gaynor said, adding that her new agency is the largest one focused on real estate in San Diego.
Gaynor previously operated Gaynor McCue Communications in Carlsbad for four years following a decade as PR director for the Santa Margarita Company/Rancho Mission Viejo.
Times OC technology reporter Jonathan Gaw is heading for Silicon Valley this week.
After turning down job offers from other newspapers, PR firms and the dot.com crowd, Gaw has decided to leave the newspaper’s business section to work as an online industry analyst for Framingham, Mass.-based International Data Corp. Gaw, who says he is both excited and frightened about his new career at the market research firm, spent the last 16 months with the Times. He also previously worked at the Times OC as a general assignment reporter from1989 to 1994. At his new job, in Mountain View, he will specialize in online automotive and real estate companies.
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Restaurant industry consultant Carrie Reynolds has stepped in to replace Joe Herrera as acting vice president of marketing for El Torito restaurants. Herrera left the Mexican restaurant chain, a division of Irvine-based Prandium Inc., a few weeks ago to pursue other interests.
Bits and pieces:
San Francisco-based JWT West’s work on the Irvine-based Coco’s restaurant advertising business helped win it the account of sister chain Carrow’s, which has estimated billings of $6 million. The agency replaces Los Angeles-based Kovel/Fuller as the new agency of record … Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder in Newport Beach has won an award of excellence and an award of merit at this year’s ACE Awards in Los Angeles for its work on a corporate video for Second Harvest Food Bank and an AIDS Walk 1999 poster, respectively. The award ceremony is sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators Volvo Cars of North America has chosen Rodheim Marketing Group, Costa Mesa, to handle its PR McEfee, Murphine & Peters, Costa Mesa, has been hired to handle PR for one-month-old Brea-based Buca di Beppo Italian restaurant Singleton/Barioni Advertising in San Diego has added Santa Ana-based Superior Manufacturing Co. LLC to its client roster, and its first assignment included designing the company’s new logo Piazzo Inc., Santa Ana Heights, recently put together a promotional package for the Mighty Ducks Care Skate-A-Thon. The agency created brochures, signage and posters for the Jan. 23 event at Arrowhead Pond Church-Hawkins Advertising & Marketing, Anaheim, has picked up a new account to handle marketing strategy, creative services, print buying and PR for Tijeras Creek Golf Club.
