What Does A St. Bernard Do For An Ad Agency?

When a LOOMIS agency team member hands you a business card, the first thing you’ll notice is the big, bold photo of a dog on the front of it. Each of our business cards features a breed of our own choosing, but no two are alike. That’s because every breed has a distinctive personality, and the breeds we choose for our cards reflect our own personalities. For example, you’ll find a Weimaraner on the face of my card. Weimaraners are strong-willed, energetic hunting dogs that require a lot of exercise. The breed has a protective instinct and an aptitude for problem solving. You don’t see many Weimaraners, because they’re a handful, and that makes them a little unpopular.

St. Bernards are another breed you don’t see very often, but not because they’re unpopular. Everybody loves St. Bernards. They’re stout working dogs that became famous for heroic Alpine winter rescue missions, credited with saving more than 2,000 lives. At LOOMIS, we have exactly one St. Bernard, and he is Michael Tuggle.

Michael joined the agency in 1999 and promptly went to work helping transform what was then a small boutique production agency into the top Dallas ad agency LOOMIS is today. The fact that an advertising professional with Michael’s talent and credibility would take a position with a little-known ad agency gave those of us who came later the confidence to do as he had done. Michael’s presence legitimized the company’s intention to become much more than it had been. But, it was more than Michael’s presence that helped the company grow and succeed over the years.

Michael’s extraordinary commitment is matched only by his capacity for turning out great work. Like the famous St. Bernards of the Alps, Michael is well known at LOOMIS for his heroics. No client demand has ever been too great for Michael. Likewise, no internal challenge has proven too messy. And, certainly, there has never been an idea hatched by the great creative minds at LOOMIS that Michael couldn’t make just a little bit better. On top of all that, people love him. Just ask any of his 964 Facebook friends—each an authentic friend—if you have any doubts. And he’s managed to do all this while being a great husband and father, too. He’s married to the original love of his life, has an Eagle Scout for a son, and has a daughter we’ve watched blossom into a beautiful and respectful young lady. None of this happens by accident.

There’s no keeping a guy like Michael a secret, of course. So, it was inevitable, perhaps, that one day another ad agency in need of heroics would call on our St. Bernard. Last month, Michael got that call and was offered a mission he couldn’t refuse. And while we’re going to miss him, we couldn’t be more proud of our friend.

Michael’s going to work with a Republican political strategies firm specializing in electing senators, congressmen, and governors. With a little luck and a lot of Michael’s talent, they hope to get a Republican U.S. president elected in 2016. We’ll be pulling for him. Then again, you don’t have to pull very hard when there’s a St. Bernard on the team.