Image maker: McClain Finlon delivers in downturn.

• Author: Taylor, Mike
• Position: Cover Story

The last time Cathey Finlon saw anything like Colorado's current recession she was a new ad-agency owner in a new city and didn't know enough to realize times were tougher than usual.

It was 1989, and she had just bought out her partner in a Boulder ad agency, moved the firm to Denver and renamed it McClain Finlon Advertising. "I started out in the business in the middle of that recession, so what did I know?" says Finlon. "I just thought having your own business was hard. I didn't have anything to compare it to."

Times are tough again, but 2002 was a good year for McClain Finlon, one of the five largest independently owned advertising agencies in the Rocky Mountain region and the No. 2-ranked firm on the ColoradoBiz Top 100 women-owned companies list. Last year the firm had billings of $129.8 million, a 31 percent increase over the previous year.

Finlon didn't start out in advertising, but the route she took prepared her well. "I didn't go to business school--I have a liberal arts degree," says Finlon, who also earned a master's degree in English from Penn State in her hometown of State College, Pa. "I didn't have business training. I'm a good business person, but I had to learn it. A lot of seat-of-the-pants learning took place during that down economy."

Finlon's first lessons about working with clients took place in an arena seemingly far removed from advertising but in fact not so different in the skills required.

For 10 years she was a fundraiser for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and later, after moving to Colorado, for the Denver Art Museum. Deciding she needed a career change after a decade in the nonprofit sector, she joined the agency of well-known Denver ad man Bob Schenkein, where she spent five years learning the business and furthering her reputation as a well-connected woman who got things done.

Schenkein was attracted first and foremost to Finlon's leadership abilities honed as a fundraiser.

"I was looking for somebody who was a very good leader to head up the account-services area of the agency," Schenkein says. "She was very bright and had been very successful in her positions with Denver Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I think she wanted to use the skills that she already had and evolve into a more expansive profession."

One of Schenkein's enduring memories of Finlon as an employee is the time she broke her right wrist in a bicycling accident and was not able to drive a car with a stick shift. Her job involved driving around to meet clients, so she borrowed a car from Schenkein that had an automatic transmission. "She made it work and kept going, taking care of all her responsibilities even though she was severely handicapped as far as driving and riding and things like that," Schenkein remembers.

Finlon left Schenkein to join Kuper Advertising in Boulder in 1985, and when she became a partner the firm was renamed Kuper-Finlon. Four years later Finlon bought out her partner, Daniella Kuper. In giving the company its current name, Finlon added "McClain"--her maiden name--so as to sound more like a company rather than one person.

"I never wanted to be just one person doing it," she says. "I wanted a company. I like the complexity of a company and the challenges every day that a business has."

Whatever work she has undertaken, Finlon has brought passion to the job, whether it's serving as chairperson of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce--a position she currently holds--or raising money for art museums.

"I just remember the day of my first job at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was like, I am home. I know what I'm doing. I know this is what I want to do with my life,'" Finlon says. But eventually the allure of working for herself caught hold.

It's obvious Finlon is at home running McClain Finlon Advertising in its spacious confines on Blake Street, though she admits there are times when she thinks it might be nice to be free from all the responsibilities of employing 75 people, putting in 60-hour workweeks and creating ads for companies such as Xcel Energy, Sun Microsystems, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, the Denver Zoo and Breckenridge Ski Resort.

In February, McClain Finlon landed another big contract when it formed a strategic partnership with Qwest to develop local marketing for Qwest's new "Spirit of Service" campaign.

"I know how to work really, really hard," says Finlon. "But ownership brings its own degree of responsibilities. And that has in impact on your life. You don't have a walk-away factor; you can't say, 'I think I'll just go get another job.'"

Finlon also is a partner in Linhart McClain Finlon Public Relations, a company she founded seven years ago with Sharon Linhart, who is the firm's president and managing partner. The two companies share space on 23rd and Blake Street in Lower Downtown.

Finlon calls her ad agency the "persuasion communications" provider, while the PR firm led by Linhart is the "reputation-building company."

Linhart says she has learned much from Finlon. "I had not had any experience running an agency myself," Linhart says. "I thought it would be great to have a mentor, someone I could emulate and learn from, and someone who would be available to help me avoid some pitfalls and mistakes that perhaps she made herself.

"That certainly has been born out," says Linhart. "It has been one of the great benefits of the affiliation."

ColoradoBiz Top 100 women-owned businesses (ranked by 2002 revenues) 2002 2001 COMPANY CITY BUSINESS RANK RANK 1 1 Ralph Schomp Littleton New/used auto sales, Automotive Inc. leasing, service 2 2 McClain Finlon Denver Full-service Advertising Inc. advertising and marketing 3 3 Andavo Travel Greenwood Comprehensive travel Village management 4 Fresh Produce Boulder Wholesale and retail Sportswear Inc. apparel 5 5 Travel By Dana Greenwood Travel agency Village 6 6 Packaging West Inc. Aurora Rigid packaging distribution 7 7 Nexus Corp. Northglenn Manufacturer of greenhouses 8 9 Craters & Freighters Denver Packing, crating and Franchise Co. transportation solutions 9 8 Travel Connections Denver Travel management Inc. 10 EON Office Products Denver Commercial office products 11 10 Slifer Designs Inc. Edwards Interior architectural design 12 11 Thayer Media Inc. Englewood Media buying service 13 13 Mayo Aviation Inc. Englewood Aircraft charter and management 14 19 Hensmann Technology Castle Network design, Inc. Rock implementation and support 15 12 Highland Management Longmont IT and engineering Inc. talent solutions 16 15 Eastwood Printing Denver Commercial printing 17 20 ETI Professionals Inc. Lakewood Business solutions for government and private sector 18 25 First Revenue Denver Debt collection Assurance LLC 19 18 United Banks of Englewood Commercial bank Colorado Inc. 20 16 Excel Personnel Inc. Parker Full service staffing company 21 21 Sounds True Inc. Louisville Publisher of audio, video and music 22 24 Rainbow Electric Corp. Longmont Electrical contracting 23 36 O'Brien Advertising Denver Advertising agency 24 30 Connect: The Knowledge Littleton IT and workforce Network Corp. effectiveness consulting 25 Community Interiors Denver Floor covering for Inc. multi-family housing 26 28 Contract Design Denver Commercial flooring Services Inc. 27 35 Global Imaging Inc. Louisville Digital imaging equipment integrator and supplier 28 26 Mile Hi Tours Inc. Denver Wholesale travel 29 37 J.C. Brooks & Co. Inc. Arvada General contractor 30 29 Pride Electric Co. Denver Electrical contracting 31 32 St. Vrain Moving & Longmont Moving and storage Storage Inc. 32 27 Broadway Moving & Denver Moving and storage of Storage Co. commercial and household 33 33 Baker Interiors Inc. Littleton Floor covering contractor 34 38 LT Environmental Inc. Denver Environmental consulting 35 40 Auto-Chlor System of Denver Commercial dishwashing Denver Inc. equipment and supplies 36 48 Optimum Management Denver Outsourcing services, Systems LLC government financial management 37 Destra Consulting Boulder Management consulting Group LLC 38 31 Burkett Design Inc. Denver...