1932
10 East 40th Street, New York City, New York

At the time of Carl Byoir's return to New York, he had acquired a number of prestigious clients: The Provence of Quebec, The Trotting Club of America, North American Aviation, and the Cuban government. The firm's founding members focused primarily on what they knew best — tourism and travel. Byoir saw to it that he and his staff were not simply creating a business, but building a profession.

Byoir's corporate culture was quickly established. The firm operated under Byoir's three basic rules: 1) new accounts would not be directly solicited (that was the job of their reputation), 2) each client would be charged a yearly fee of $36,000 plus the expenses of carrying out the public relations programs, and 3) employees would be divided into executive staff and operating staff. Each account was served with one executive and as many operating staff deemed necessary. This became the model for contemporary pr firm staffing.

From his days as a salesman, Byoir knew that a personal approach to managing accounts was necessary for a company's success. He once stated that the two things required for a successful practitioner were to have an understanding of what motivates people, and to work for a good firm which stood behind him. Byoir believed that nothing took the place of integrity in the client relationship, and often let staff mistakes go unpunished if they were honestly made.

Years after the founding members moved on or passed away, the firm stayed in the top five list of best public relations firms as late as 1960 behind Hill & Knowlton, Lee & T.J. Ross, Selvage & Lee, and Dudley-Anderson-Yutzy. In 1977, it was the third largest in the United States. In 1978 it was sold to Foote Cone & Belding.

The firm was sold one last time to Hill & Knowlton, where it resides today. The last shop in Los Angeles, California still bears the name of the great pioneer, but the doors to the New York office closed in 1998.

CARL R. BYOIR - A RETROSPECTIVE
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