Cowley Associates finds new home in Armory Square

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Dec 07, 2001 by Dickinson, Casey J

SYRACUSE - After two decades on Clinton Street, Cowley Associates, Inc. is moving to a new location in January.

The agency is trading the red brick of its trademark Victorian office at 315 N. Clinton for more modern space at 235 Walton St. in the city's Armory Square district. Cowley's new offices will occupy 4,000 square feet on the second floor of the building housing the street-level radio studios of Galaxy Communications. Designed by Zausmer, Frisch, Scruton & Aggarwal, the office layout will streamline operations for the agency's growing staff, says Gail Cowley, executive vice president of Cowley Associates.

"The office's new features, such as its videoconferencing capability," she adds, "will help us maintain our personal relationships with clients."

Founded in 1975, Cowley has doubled its staff over the past three years; the firm now employs 12 full time. Approximately 70 percent of the agency's business comes from outside Central New York, making regular travel a requirement.

In the 1980s, Gail Cowley first developed contacts in Christian publishing that would lead to a relationship with Tyndale House Publishers. The Chicago-based company sold nearly $50 million worth of religious books last year.

Clients and Cowley's staff keep in contact through the agency's Web site, as well as through face-to-face communication. The agency's creative staff can access materials while traveling as well as they can at the office, says President Paul Cowley.

In addition to book promotion, Cowley has carved itself a niche in fund-raising, creating capital campaigns across the nation for nursing homes. Beginning with a campaign for the Jewish Home of Central New York, Cowley has created similar drives for other groups. The agency's local clients also include Byrne Dairy, Crucible Steel, L. & J.G. Stickley, and the Emkay Candle Co.

The agency has received many awards over the years, including a CLIO, the industry's highest honor. Awards are nice to put on the shelves, says Paul Cowley, but client satisfaction far outweighs the effect of peer admiration.

"We try to connect with the client," he says. "Our reward is when our clients are successful."