Russ Williams, Principal

The man was a chemical engineer.

Russ Williams believes this business is a lot like chemical engineering. Sometimes it's experimentation followed by flawless execution. Other times it's a long series of explosions. The important thing is that you learn from both.

Now if you think about it (and we hope you do), no one has a better background for advertising than Russ. Along with a chemical engineering degree, he also spent 15 years at a Fortune 500 company and earned an MBA from the University of Virginia. So he's like, smart.

His client-side experience enables us to see business opportunities from all perspectives. But it's Russ's drive and ability to be forward thinking that brings the most out of his unconventional background and keeps archer>malmo running its best. Since he showed up, archer>malmo has grown almost 80% and become one of the largest, most-respected agencies in the Southeast.

Outside of archer>malmo Russ spends time with family and friends, playing golf and researching the history of his home. His family also has three pets. Two cats and a hamster. "They don't like me and I don't like them."

If you want to talk about new business opportunities, golf or your hatred of hamsters and cats, email Russ here.

Gary Backaus, Principal

Artist. Musician. Vegetarian. And left-brained?

Let's just get this out of the way first. Gary Backaus grew up a musician, designer and an art director. He believes that powerful ideas are bigger than any one person. He loves great design and feels that it’s the foundation of almost everything. But here's where our bio takes a strange turn. Gary shows all the signs of being left brained. He actually takes all that creative energy and funnels into strategy. Scarier still, he uses PowerPoint.

But this unlikely behavior has been paying big dividends for his clients. And it's also paid off for the creatives under his leadership. During Gary's watch archer>malmo has won numerous local and national Addys. As well as been in the One Show, CA, Archive, Print, D&AD and host of other award shows.

When he's not in the office, Gary enjoys music, cooking, and enjoying food and wine with family and friends. If you'd like to talk building brands, music, design or just want to share a good recipe, email Gary here.

Cynthia Ham, Principal

Trusted advisor. Memphis maven.

We certainly believe in free will around here. And we’d never want to underestimate the value of hard work. But you might say that Cynthia Ham was destined to become the chief public relations officer for the premier marketing communications agency in the region.

First of all, she comes by her talents honestly. With an English professor for a mother and a military man for a father, Cynthia learned the importance of proper use of language, the benefit of straightforward communications and the value of discipline.

Second, Cynthia operates by a mantra. It’s simple, but powerful: all people deserve to be heard. So for more than 30 years, from corporate to nonprofit, she’s been listening. And her thoughtful, no-nonsense responses have earned her unparalleled credibility.

Third, she’s deeply committed to the Memphis community. Even developed and teaches a course on it—Memphis 101. She grew up here, and she went to college here (the University of Memphis has even honored her with an Outstanding Journalism Alumni award). She serves on numerous boards. She’s married to the president of the Center City Commission and one of her dogs is named Bluff.

If you want to talk about your communications needs, Memphis or just about anything else (did we mention she’s inquisitive?), email Cynthia here.