Noble and Associates acquires Chicago-based agency

Noble |amp| Associates, a national marketing communications agency with headquarters in Springfield and offices in Chicago, has acquired BBDS Communi-cations, according to a company news release.

BBDS has headquarters in Chicago, with offices in Milwaukee and Washington, N.J.

The Sept. 6 acqusition makes Noble the second-largest ad agency in Missouri and one of the top 12 independently owned agencies nationwide. The Springfield office will continue as Noble |amp| Associates. In Chicago, it will be called Noble/BBDS/Chicago.

Noble, with more than $150 million in annual billings, specializes in food marketing with a secondary emphasis on the architectural and construction industries. BBDS posted more than $75 million in billings last year and has a diverse consumer and business-to-business clientele.

|quot|We've combined two growing and profitable agencies with complementary clients and resources into one of the largest independent agencies in the nation,|quot| said Robert Noble, chairman and chief executive officer of Noble Communications. |quot|The acquisition takes Noble from 150 associates to more than 250 and more than $225 million in combined billings.|quot|

Noble will serve as chairman of the new organization, with Keith Acuff as vice chairman. Julie Tumy is president of Noble |amp| Associates/Springfield, and Elizabeth Sanderson is president of Noble/BBDS/ Chicago.

Noble |amp| Associates, founded 33 years ago in Springfield, was the first advertising agency in southwest Missouri to hit Adweek magazine's ranking of the top 100 agencies in the United States. With the BBDS acquisition, Noble moves from No. 80 on that list to No. 53.