• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 6, 2013

Two well-known East Coast ad agencies have combined forces. Boston-based agency Allen & Gerritsen has acquired Philadelphia-based ad firm Neiman for an undisclosed price.

The agencies say the deal makes the combined entity one of the 20 largest independent ad agencies in the U.S., based on billings. Curiously, it would not back up the claim by disclosing just how large those billings are.

The combined agency, which remains based in Boston with a major presence in Philadelphia, will have nearly 200 employees. Tim Reeves, the CEO of Neiman, has been named an equity partner in A&G and will head the combined shops’ new public relations and executive consulting practice. He will also join the A&G board.  

“Clients love independent agencies for their agility and entrepreneurial zeal,” stated Allen & Gerritsen CEO Andrew Graff. “But to flourish tomorrow, independents need something else: scale for innovation.” He asserted that the two shops are “innovation leaders” that can grow more quickly together than apart.

Added Reeves: “Boston and Philadelphia are the perfect locales to build a new national destination for independent innovation.” He added that both cities are now "world centers of technology, venture capital and higher education.”

A&G said that Graff and Reeves had been thinking about a deal over the past year, after attending a 4As agency owners forum meeting in New York in May 2012.  

Neiman, founded 33 years ago, counts among its clients Comcast, Dietz & Watson, Insight Pharmaceuticals, Sunoco, Temple University, Trex and Yuengling. The agency has an R&D unit called Neiman Labs.

Clients at A&G, founded 28 years ago, include the Boston Celtics, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, City Year, D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, Hannaford Supermarkets, and Kamik Footwear .