Erwin-Penland Expands Senior Management Team with Four Promotions

April 12, 2006

Additions to Help Agency Prepare for Next Phase of Growth

GREENVILLE, S.C., April 12, 2006 – Leading Southeast ad agency Erwin-Penland, part of Interpublic Group’s Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, has named four new members to its senior management team, all of whom received the title of vice president: Cynthia Davis, Cory Schearer, Ty Thornhill and Shannon Wilbanks.

“Adding depth to our senior management team will equip us for our next level of growth,” said EP President Joe Erwin. “Our revenue and our head count have doubled in the past five years, and we’re increasingly competing for both clients and talent on a national level. These four new members will greatly enhance our ability to take on that challenge.”

Erwin noted that the four bring diverse perspectives to the agency’s leadership group, which now numbers 12 members. Davis has both client and agency experience and once ran her own consulting firm in Pittsburgh, while Wilbanks’ background is in public policy and economic development.

“Most notably,” Erwin added, “Ty and Cory both began their professional careers at Erwin-Penland. I think it sends a great message to our young people that if you work hard and embrace the culture of the organization, you, too, can be a leader at the highest level.”

Davis, who serves as the agency’s director of account planning, brought more than 20 years of strategic marketing communications experience when she joined Erwin-Penland in 2004. The University of Kentucky graduate has served as advertising director for a $2 billion subsidiary of Rockwell International and held the post of director of corporate communications for both Westinghouse Credit Corp. and medical device manufacturer Respironics Inc.

Schearer joined Erwin-Penland in 1997 upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Bob Jones University. The Montana native serves as an associate creative director on such accounts as BMW, Wachovia, Michelin and the Greenville Drive baseball team.

Thornhill joined the agency in 1998 after earning a degree in marketing from Clemson University. He currently serves as an account supervisor for Wachovia, Michelin and Advance America, and is also president of the Greenville Ad Club.

Wilbanks is Erwin-Penland’s business development manager. She joined the agency in 2000 from the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and prior to that held staff positions in the South Carolina and Washington, D.C., offices of former U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings. She is a graduate of the College of Charleston.