SOM Alum Leads Finances for Ad Agency
by Robin L. Flanigan
As executive director of finance for nationally recognized marketing and advertising agency Partners + Napier, headquartered in Rochester, Scott Chapman 鈥�04 has a lot of responsibility.
鈥淚鈥檓 the lead person over all the finance, the human resources, and the information technology, which gets me into a lot of our operations on a daily basis,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y role is to make sure we put resources in the best places, toward the best opportunities, to have success.鈥�
Partners + Napier, which has an office in San Francisco and recently opened one in Manhattan, has worked on a Super Bowl halftime Pepsi commercial and helped AT&T sponsor the Tribeca Film Festival. Clients include Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Constellation Brands, Lufthansa Airlines, Mederma, and Capital One.
Chapman helped prepare Partners + Napier ahead of time for the bankruptcy of Eastman Kodak Co., a substantial client for whom the agency was responsible for worldwide marketing鈥攁nd wound up offsetting losses with new clients. And he played a part in his employer鈥檚 2013 acquisition of Post Central, helping to identify how bringing in the Pittsford company鈥檚 video production services鈥攁t the time frequently contracted out鈥攃ould save money and meet increasing business demands for digital and social media.
鈥淲e added to our profit margin, but also added the capability to show our current clients that we can do things more efficiently and effectively,鈥� he explains.
Once a physical therapy major, Chapman switched to accounting his junior year after some nudging from a friend who pointed out his passion for reading The Wall Street Journal. He remains highly appreciative of support from Phyllis Bloom, M.B.A., C.P.A., director and associate professor of accounting, who worked to figure out a way he could complete his degree only one semester late. 鈥淭he fact that I was able to graduate somewhat on time was really because of the approach to problem solving that Nazareth took,鈥� notes Chapman. 鈥淚t was always about looking at the end goal, and I think that鈥檚 why I鈥檝e been successful in my current role. It鈥檚 not just about looking at an Excel spreadsheet. It鈥檚 also about asking whether we make a big change or do something a little bit differently to avoid a problem in the future.鈥�
Chapman was introduced to Partners + Napier during a college internship at a local accounting firm, and happened to be involved in the transaction that formed the agency in 2004.
Competitive and creative, Chapman structures contracts, when the opportunity makes good business sense, to include incentive compensation, which offers the agency financial rewards if clients meet certain performance-based initiatives.
鈥淥ur CEO has put some confidence behind me and given me a lot of opportunities,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd to quote her as I go forward as a part of our senior team, I鈥檓 going to continue to focus on doing great work for great clients with great people.鈥�
Robin L. Flanigan is a freelance writer in Rochester, New York.
Scott Chapman '04
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