As marketing and advertising agency SicolaMartin enters its 25^th year, founder and CEO Steve Martin today announced that he will be stepping down as CEO but will remain at the agency as non-executive Chairman, working on special assignments and serving as a senior advisor. He is succeeded by Cherie Cox, a 17-year veteran of the agency, who was chosen by both Martin and co-founder Tom Sicola in 2008 to be the agency’s President. As such, she has already been leading day-to-day operations and business development since that time in partnership with Diane McKinnon, EVP and Executive Creative Director.

“I feel both pride and excitement about SicolaMartin’s next chapter. Tom Sicola and I shaped and built this agency over the years. But it is up to the next generation to carry it forward,” said Steve Martin. “We have carefully planned for this day and Cherie is not only prepared and proven, she is a gifted natural. She’s going to be fantastic,” he added.

Mrs. Cox joined SicolaMartin 17 years ago. Prior to her promotion to President two years ago, she was most recently the agency’s SVP, Managing Partner.

“We deeply appreciate the incredible commitment and influence that Steve has had at SicolaMartin and for our industry, and we are excited about the future. We have a strong and creative agency with great people, great clients and an amazing corporate culture,” said Cherie Cox.

Steve Martin has been a leading figure in the Austin advertising and business community for many years. Through his leadership, the agency has received countless creative and industry awards. In 2001, he was named Austin’s Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Supported by his personal commitment to a strong culture, SicolaMartin has made Texas Monthly’s list of Best Companies to Work for in Texas for the past 5 years. He has chaired or served on multiple boards and his pro-bono activities have included the American Cancer Society, the United Way, Austin Children’s Shelter, the Go Texan Program, Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas, and many others.

“This is the perfect way for me to continue to support the agency while allowing me time to focus more energy on pro-bono efforts and several special projects that I am extremely passionate about,” Martin added.

Austin, Texas-based SicolaMartin is an advertising and marketing agency that turns marketing complexities into compelling ideas. For more than 20 years, the agency has created powerful connections between brands and their customers in industries such as enterprise technology, consumer electronics, managed services, healthcare, telecom and supply chain management and logistics. Industry leaders, including AMD, Blu-ray Disc, McLane, SAP, Sybase and Dell have relied on SicolaMartin for innovative marketing solutions. For the past five years, SicolaMartin has been voted one of Best Companies to Work for in Texas by Texas Monthly magazine. The agency is a wholly owned subsidiary of Young & Rubicam Brands. For more information, visit http://www.sicolamartin.com .

SicolaMartin – a full-service marketing and advertising agency entering its twenty-fifth year in Austin – saw the opportunity to create a more modern space and roll out a brand positioning and new visual identity for the agency. The agency had been in the Austin Centre since relocating from the Arboretum in 1999. SicolaMartin will be on the 18th floor and share state-of-the-art production and IT facilities with other Y&R Brands and WPP network companies. “We have a contemporary, yet warm space that is able to reflect the personality and culture of the agency, as well as provide the best facilities for meeting the evolving needs of our clients,” said Cherie Cox, President of SicolaMartin.

The new space is an open environment, making communication and collaboration much easier for an agency that provides an integrated portfolio of services. “Art directors, account service, web developers, writers, media planners – they all sit in close proximity to one another in order to engage at a fundamental level and deliver the kind of innovate marketing solutions our clients have come to expect from SicolaMartin,” said Steve Martin, CEO of SicolaMartin.

One of the goals set by the agency at the beginning of 2009 was to examine how they presented themselves and make sure they provided a clear vision and value to clients, prospects, partners and employees. The agency fielded research with current and former clients and partners to better understand their perceptions of SicolaMartin and what they needed going forward. The agency has taken these insights along with other data and created a clearer articulation of what they provide for clients. “We needed to communicate our ability to tap the strength of our technology heritage and the diversity of our client portfolio, along with the amazing opportunities afforded by the spectrum of marketing channels available today. Turning marketing complexities into compelling ideas is what we do,” said Cherie Cox.

Along with a new expression of SicolaMartin’s value proposition, the agency saw the move as an opportunity to update its visual identity in a way that reflects the culture that has been a hallmark of the shop for many years. The new look incorporates colorful elements that represent the “Martian” culture of SicolaMartin – a fun, creative and unique way of looking at the world that focuses employees on taking their work seriously without taking themselves too seriously. “We have been named one of the Best Places to Work in Texas by Texas Monthly for the past five years and we feel that our culture is a huge part of that recognition,” said Steve Martin. From the graphic wall decals of Martian characters to the conference rooms named for planets to an expansive view of the Capitol, the space reflects the vision of a local agency with a reach well beyond its proud Austin roots.

SicolaMartin’s first assignment—to develop a communications strategy and advertising campaign around the launch of the new St. David’s Women’s Center of Texas—began running in print ad publications last month. The St. David’s Women’s Center of Texas is a brand new, $83-million dollar facility, and the region’s first hospital designed specifically for women. Connected via a sky bridge to the second floor of the main St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, the facility offers the highest level of maternity and newborn services with Level I, II, and III nurseries. Ultimately, it will include physician offices of various specialties for women’s services, women’s imaging services, and a Breast Cancer Resource Center, among others.

Utilizing sophisticated, duotone images of a women and child as well as architectural and design details of the new facility, the new print ad beautifully and simply explains to readers that, “It’s for Her.” It goes on to explain that the new facility is… “A place of health, warmth, comfort and safety. Where experienced staff and state-of-the-art technology go hand in hand. Where great minds choose to practice because of their shared commitment to exceptional care. Where women’s services, needs, and treatments aren’t simply the most important things. They’re the only things.”

The sentiment, “It’s for Her”, was quickly embraced by the leadership at St. David’s HealthCare. “We were so impressed with the firm’s ability to quickly grasp the attributes of the center and to bring them to life in breakthrough creative approaches,” Mark Clayton, Senior Vice President, said, when referring to SicolaMartin’s initial presentation to win the business.

As for SicolaMartin, the opportunity was exactly what the agency was looking for. With an ongoing effort to broaden its portfolio into more consumer-focused accounts, the agency was elated to add St. David’s HealthCare as the latest in a long line of non-hi-tech clients. But that’s not the only reason. According to Cherie Cox, President of SicolaMartin, “It is so exciting to work on such a significant launch for St. David’s HealthCare in Austin. As a woman and a mother, I could instantly relate to the unique qualities that the center has to offer.”

About St. David’s HealthCare

In 2008, St. David’s HealthCare received the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. With a total of 21 sites across Central Texas, St. David’s HealthCare includes six of the area’s leading hospitals: St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, St. David’s South Austin Hospital, St. David’s Medical Center, St. David’s Georgetown Hospital and St. David’s Rehabilitation Hospital. In addition to its full-service rehabilitation hospital, St. David’s provides rehabilitation services at its acute-care facilities and at 15 outpatient rehabilitation clinics across the region. For more information visit http://www.StDavids.com

What makes us so unique? We work hard. We love what we do. We “get it,” many of our clients say. We also have Summer Fridays, Kick Butt awards, growth opportunities and we strive for a healthy environment where people can balance both their work and family commitments, for starters.

The rankings are determined by a third party, and are  based on an assessment of the company’s employee policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey.

The Best Company to Work for in Texas program is a partnership of the Texas Association of Business, TEXAS MONTHLY and The Society for Human Resource Management – Texas State Council. The full listing of companies will be published in the February issue of TEXAS MONTHLY.