Milwaukee integrated marketing and communications firm Ellingsen Brady Advertising has dissolved and plans to officially close its office doors by the end of the year, according to one of the agency’s co-founders.
Tim Brady, who founded the advertising agency with Don Ellingsen in 1994, left day-to-day operations of the firm in April. Ellingsen retired in December 2015.
Since Brady’s departure, a few of the firm’s clients and employees transitioned to Starkmedia, a downtown digital solutions agency, Brady said. Other employees moved to other agencies. There were about 9 people on the company payroll as of July, Brady said.
“Don Ellingsen and I had a nice 25-year run working with many great clients and talented employees,” Brady said. “Aside from demanding great work for our clients, Don embraced a ‘worker bee’ attitude, mentoring and developing hundreds of successful ad professionals over the years. I was just happy to be part of it.”
In August, the firm named Dar Hackbarth as its new president and announced growth plans that included building out its office space at the Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo St. in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. Hackbarth couldn’t be reached for comment.
Ellingsen, an art director, and Brady, a copywriter, met in 1992 at Ellingsen’s first agency, Ellingsen Sprecher. Ellingsen Brady specialized in advertising, branding, public relations, content development, digital, and corporate design for business-to-business, special events and consumer markets.
