NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 28 number 1 - Fall 2007

Portrait of a Corporate Partner: Howard, Merrell & Partners

By Michael Gulley, Senior Development Officer

The Friends of the Library extends a warm welcome to one of its newest corporate partners, Howard, Merrell & Partners, a full-service strategic communications company. Howard, Merrell & Partners, one of North Carolina's oldest and largest ad agencies, was founded in 1945 by Jack Howard. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, the firm is a pioneer in developing more effective business and communications strategies for its many high-profile clients.

Laura Childs McAliley, senior account executive of public relations, noted that Jack Howard built HM&P with a commitment to delivering consistently a high standard of quality to its clients. They call this the "HM&P Standard." Although HM&P has grown and changed over the years, its values have remained the same. They pride themselves in building long-lasting relationships with their clients to help transform and shape the competitive future of client businesses.

The firm maintains client partnerships across various industries, with differing business and communications challenges. Not all projects result in true partnerships, but when mutual understanding of each other's cultures is combined with seamless exchanges of knowledge and collaboration, the partnership can achieve remarkable results. Add to this philosophy an alignment with the culture and goals of NC State University, and a true community is formed.

Howard, Merrell & Partners is a strong supporter and partner of NC State University. It recognizes the invaluable competitive edge that the university provides local businesses and individuals. Six of the company's forty-odd team members are NCSU alumni, and eleven have one or more family members connected to the school. Each semester the agency welcomes approximately five NCSU student interns--twenty-six interns since fall 2004.

Becoming a Friend of the NCSU Libraries seemed a logical and beneficial choice for the agency as both HM&P and NCSU benefit. With access to the valuable research resources available through the program, HM&P is better able to serve its clients' needs and understand what is happening in the marketplace. They quickly took advantage of one of the program's many benefits, the Library Resources Workshop. The workshop, held for six HM&P employees at their Raleigh office, was led by NCSU reference librarian Katherine Dexter Willis, who provided tailored instruction on how to navigate and use many of the library's resources.

Additionally, through this partnership HM&P proudly supports the education of future business and community leaders. For more information on Howard, Merrell & Partners, please visit www.MerrellGroup.com or call (919) 848-2400.
To find out more about the Corporate Partners Program, call Michael Gulley at (919) 513-7315 or visit the Web at www.lib.ncsu.edu/friends/corppartners.html.