Sullivan Higdon & Sink Partner Retires After 32 Years

Joe Norris Leaves Legacy of Creative Leadership and Burning Hatred of Sheep

A local partner at the state’s largest advertising and public relations agency who has been a creative leader for hundreds of staff members is retiring after 32 years at Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS). Joe Norris, one of five managing partners at the firm and who—prior to its partnership structure—served as its top creative director for nearly 20 years, is retiring at the end of the year. After retiring, Norris will serve as a consultant to the agency.

The agency’s leadership structure will remain a partnership and will continue to be managed by four partners. Those partners are Tom Bertels, Sam Williams, Rand Mikulecky and Lynell Stucky. They will continue to oversee the agency’s three offices in Wichita, Kansas City and Washington, D.C. Two key leaders will continue to provide creative leadership for the firm: Kansas City-based John January, senior vice president and executive creative director, who oversees creative direction for the entire agency, and P. Scott Flemming, vice president and creative director, who supervises Wichita creative work.

Norris, 61, a Coats, Kansas, native, joined SHS in 1977 as an account executive – before the agency even knew they had a spot for him, according to SHS founder Al Higdon. Just two years later, Norris’ creative talents were quickly identified and he was promoted to vice president—creative director.

“When we launched our creative department in the early 1980s, Vaughn Sink suggested we had the best creative director candidate already on staff. The rest is history,” said Higdon.

Norris reflected on his time and the agency’s brand of we hate sheep. “Leaving these Sheep Haters behind is not easy, but they are in good hands and the stable of leadership is well-poised to keep differentiating SHS’ clients. SHS will continue to stand out because of that commitment. It’s just part of the SHS DNA,” said Norris.

Higdon praised Norris’ work over the years. “Joe Norris is a guy who could have worked—and greatly succeeded—in advertising in any major market in the country. Thank God he chose to spend the rest of his career at SHS,” said Higdon.

“His tenure at the firm has been marked by his remarkable and strategically based creativity, linked to a genuine skill for leading and managing a successful, growing organization of talented people.”

During his three-plus decades at SHS, Norris has helped build some very powerful brands including Pizza Hut, The Coleman Company and Cessna Aircraft, among hundreds of others.

Managing Partner Rand Mikulecky, one of the four remaining partners, who has also served the longest beside Norris, said, “Joe has an amazing talent of whittling the complex down to a simple and compelling message. All the while, he had fun doing it—and made it enjoyable for all those who got to work with him. He will be greatly missed.”

Norris will celebrate with staff at their upcoming winter event, and will begin looking forward to a future of picking up guitar, family time with his young grandson and volunteer work.

Some of Norris’ achievements include being named twice to the Top 100 B2B Marketers by BtoB Magazine, inclusion in several books such as “Excellence in Brand Advertising” and “The Case for B2B Branding,” along with the Business Marketing Association designating the agency as 2007 Creative Team of the Year and 2008 Agency of the Year.

Joe serves on the Wichita State University Elliott School Advisory Board, the Orpheum Theatre Board of Directors and is a member in good standing of the Bacon of the Month Club.

About SHS
SHS has been named Business Marketing Association’s agency of the year for 2008, the second time the agency has been recognized for consistently outstanding work done for business-to-business clients. SHS was also ranked as one of the top business-to-business agencies in the nation by BtoB magazine this year. With offices in Wichita, Kansas City and Washington, D.C., the agency is taking care of a client roster that includes Borden Cheese/American Dairy Farmers, Cessna Aircraft Company – A Textron Company, Cargill, Pizza Hut, Rolls-Royce North America, American Century Investments, Lycoming – A Textron Company, Cardinal Health, Spirit AeroSystems, Swiss Re, Kansas Health Foundation, INTRUST Bank, ITT Defense and Westar Energy. Take a closer look at SHS at www.wehatesheep.com.

Primary Contact:
Alex Stern
Sullivan Higdon & Sink
[email protected]