by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
It isn’t every day the president and CEO and two executive vice presidents of one of Jacksonville’s largest advertising, public relations and interactive services firms are asked to leave their conference room in the middle of a meeting. But that’s what happened Wednesday morning.
The painters had arrived and needed to finish their work in the new home of the Dalton Agency at 140 W Monroe St. so Jim Dalton, Michael Munz and Dave Josserand vacated the space and said they were glad to do it.
“It’s all about priorities,” said Dalton, the agency’s president and CEO.
He described moving the agency to the new location facing Hemming Plaza as “the culmination of a commitment we made more than 10 years ago to help revitalize Downtown.”
The agency made the decision to purchase the former Park Place Pavilion last spring and has since been renovating the three-story structure. Chief Strategy Officer Dave Josserand said the purchase and improvements amount to an investment in Downtown of more than $4.4 million.
The agency left its former address on the Southbank as of Dec. 31 and is this week completing moving furniture and equipment into the new headquarters along with the staff of more than 70 people.
The building was buzzing with activity Wednesday morning with creative team members unpacking boxes and moving into their new offices as soon as the furniture was delivered while construction workers were wrapping up their work just feet away.
“We’re in operation. We’re answering the phone and sending e-mails,” said Josserand.
“We’re very excited. It’s the first chance for many of our staff to see the new offices and they’re starting to live the Downtown experience,” said Dalton.
Munz, who supervises the agency’s public relations operations, said in addition to discovering the myriad of options for lunch in the neighborhood from the Blue Boy Sandwich Shop to Cafe Nola and Chew, members of the team have been inspired to become Downtown residents as well as workers. Since the relocation was announced, several Dalton staffers have moved into The Carling, 11 E and Berkman Plaza.
“We went from zero percent of the staff living Downtown to now about 10 percent,” added Josserand.
Dalton believes what he called the area’s “unique energy” will also be felt by clients.
“Most of our clients aren’t located Downtown, so they don’t come down here very often, but now we can help change that,” he said.
Munz agreed and said, “We’re predicting a ripple effect because we will be bringing people Downtown who haven’t been here for years. It’s also a central location that’s accessible to all parts of town.”
All three executives predict becoming a permanent fixture in the Downtown business scene will be viewed years from now as the right move.
“Big cities always have vibrant Downtowns. We share the vision and we’re proud to be part of it in Jacksonville,” said Josserand.