PR's dynamic duo: Schenkein co-owners keep vision alive.

• Author: Eulberg, Tyera
• Position: Executive edge - Schenkein Public Relations - Brief Article

THEY BOTH CALL IT A PERFECT FIT.

One likes new business, the other existing clients. One prefers internal staff development, the other client projects. In fact, Leanna Clark and Christin Crampton Day, co-owners of Schenkein Public Relations, complement each other so well that they even offset their maternity leaves.

"Because I was pregnant with twins and had some complications, I was on bedrest during July and August 2000," Clark said. "I continued to work--flat on my back in bed--via e-mail and conference calls! But Christin took all of my face-to-face meetings in addition to her own.

"When she went on maternity leave in September 2002, I got to return the favor. It's great to have someone to rely on 100 percent."

For seven years, the pair had worked together for Bob Schenkein, the company's founder and namesake. Each woman moved in unison to become principals of the company. Now they share its helm.

"Neither of us were looking toward buying. It was completely something Bob came up with," said Crampton Day. "But it was a very logical next step. Bob wanted to create an opportunity from within, and to make sure he got new leaders that would keep his vision.

"And the three of us clicked well together."

Bob Schenkein, who will continue doing strategic work at the firm until the end of 2003, has eased Clark and Crampton Day into the new position, teaching them the strategies and philosophies that earned him a lifetime achievement award from the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and an election to the College of Fellows of PRSA.

For example, Schenkein emphasized controlled, steady growth that would preserve the company's culture. While the PR industry has a reputation for tumult, with employee numbers oscillating with the rise and fall of the economy, Schenkein attributes the instability to poor financial information and over-hiring during the good times.

"When Bob took us under his wing and...