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Matlock Advertising relocates to historic downtown Atlanta office building

By Maria Saporta
Atlanta Journal & Constitution
(October 20, 2005) This week, the multicultural marketing, advertising and public relations firm moved its offices from the northern edge of Midtown to a historic building on Luckie Street downtown.

The agency also is broadening its reach into the Latino market by acquiring Ventana Marketing and its owner, Fabricio Lopez. As part of the transaction, Lopez will become managing director of Matlock & Associates.

"We have had clients pushing us to expand our capabilities with Hispanic consumers," said Kent Matlock, who founded his firm in 1986 to specialize in marketing to African-Americans. Today, Matlock & Associates is among the 10 largest multicultural agencies in the country.

It is the agency of record for multicultural marketing for BellSouth, Georgia-Pacific, BMW-North America, Nationwide Insurance, Dell Computers and Publix. It also gained national recognition by helping Denny's through a crisis communications campaign to rebuild its image after the restaurant chain was charged with racial discrimination in the mid-1990s.

Matlock said he was drawn to buying a building downtown because of the growing vibrancy in the area with Georgia State University and the proximity of Turner Broadcasting and CNN.

"We are in the creative business, and there's all this energy down here," said Matlock, who moved to Atlanta in 1978 to go to Morehouse College. "I feel Atlanta has made a big investment, and we wanted to contribute. Atlanta has been good to me."

The agency bought the three-story, 85-year-old building in the spring and has been renovating it. The building, located between Fairlie and Cone streets on Luckie, has a colorful past, Matlock said. It served as a "gentlemen's club" where alcohol was served in the 1920s during Prohibition. In the 1950s, Atlanta architect John Portman received his first commission to modernize the building with a new marble façade decorated with a large eagle. It later was the site of Atlanta's Playboy Club, and dancer poles of that era still exist in the basement.

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Wabash Ave. Suite 210 Chicago, IL 60604 t. 312-408-1881 f. 312-408-1867 info@targetmarketnews.com	THE LATEST NEWS Matlock Advertising relocates to historic downtown Atlanta office building By Maria Saporta Atlanta Journal & Constitution (October 20, 2005) This week, the multicultural marketing, advertising and public relations firm moved its offices from the northern edge of Midtown to a historic building on Luckie Street downtown. The agency also is broadening its reach into the Latino market by acquiring Ventana Marketing and its owner, Fabricio Lopez. As part of the transaction, Lopez will become managing director of Matlock & Associates. "We have had clients pushing us to expand our capabilities with Hispanic consumers," said Kent Matlock, who founded his firm in 1986 to specialize in marketing to African-Americans. Today, Matlock & Associates is among the 10 largest multicultural agencies in the country. It is the agency of record for multicultural marketing for BellSouth, Georgia-Pacific, BMW-North America, Nationwide Insurance, Dell Computers and Publix. It also gained national recognition by helping Denny's through a crisis communications campaign to rebuild its image after the restaurant chain was charged with racial discrimination in the mid-1990s. Matlock said he was drawn to buying a building downtown because of the growing vibrancy in the area with Georgia State University and the proximity of Turner Broadcasting and CNN. "We are in the creative business, and there's all this energy down here," said Matlock, who moved to Atlanta in 1978 to go to Morehouse College. "I feel Atlanta has made a big investment, and we wanted to contribute. Atlanta has been good to me." The agency bought the three-story, 85-year-old building in the spring and has been renovating it. The building, located between Fairlie and Cone streets on Luckie, has a colorful past, Matlock said. It served as a "gentlemen's club" where alcohol was served in the 1920s during Prohibition. In the 1950s, Atlanta architect John Portman received his first commission to modernize the building with a new marble façade decorated with a large eagle. It later was the site of Atlanta's Playboy Club, and dancer poles of that era still exist in the basement. Go to Target Market News homepage	Target Market News Presents The 2005 African- American Magazine Summit ONE DAY ONLY! November 15th, 2005 Time Warner Inc. The Time & Life Building New York, N.Y. ______________________ The third annual symposium for publishing and marketing executives to examine the latest research, trends and opportunities for African- American magazine publishers and advertisers Sponsored By Hear presentations from the following advertisers and publishers: Almae Publishers Representative Black Enterprise Magazine Brand Jordan E. Morris Communications Essence Communications Heart & Soul Magazine Johnson Publishing Co. 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