Nick Ruffin, CAE, Chief Operating Officer
(859) 514-9150
nruffin@amrms.com
“I have known Steve Drake for more than 15 years and have always admired his commitment and passion to our industry,” said John Ruffin, CAE, AMR President and CEO. “I am honored that he would trust me to continue his commitments to the DrakeCo clients and team members.”
This acquisition solidifies AMR’s position as a leader in the AMC industry. The combined operations bring AMR to 65 employees, 30 full-service and project-based clients and more than $6 million in annual revenue. AMR will maintain the DrakeCo office in Chesterfield, Mo., in addition to its headquarters in Lexington, Ky. AMR also provides government affairs support out of a satellite office in Washington, D.C. The combined company will be one of the 10 largest association management companies in the industry.
“John’s offer came at an opportune time for me,” said Steve Drake, President of Drake & Company. “It allows me to start slowing down while continuing my passions of speaking about generational differences, social media and consulting with associations to develop strong boards.”
Ruffin added, “We are pleased that Steve will be staying on to serve as a consultant to AMR through the transition and will be available ongoing to serve AMR’s clients and others through speaking and consulting engagements.”
All the DrakeCo employees have joined the AMR team and will continue supporting existing DrakeCo clients. Over time, overlapping departments will be consolidated to take the best processes and procedures from both companies. In order to provide continuity of service and efficiently manage the larger AMR operations, DrakeCo Vice Presidents Hugh Whaley and Brian Reuwee will be retained as vice presidents in the new organizational structure. Nick Ruffin, CAE, AMR Chief Operating Officer, will oversee the day-to-day activities of the combined company.
“DrakeCo holds an outstanding reputation within the food and agricultural sector,” John Ruffin said. “We plan to build upon their success as well as continuing our focus on the state government, medical/healthcare and hospitality industries.”
The acquisition was announced at the AMC Institute Community Conference Aug. 6 in advance of the 2011 American Society of Association Executives meeting in St. Louis.
About Drake & Company
Founded in 1992 by Steve Drake, Drake & Company grew from an event planning and public relations firm to a full-service association management company specializing in the food and agricultural industry. During those 19 years, DrakeCo emerged as a progressive and innovative association management firm with a passion for serving its clients. Highly regarded in the communications arena, DrakeCo has been recognized four times by the Public Relations Society of America with the Silver Anvil for Excellence in Public Relations and honored with the American Society of Association Executives Summit Award.
About AMR Management Services
AMR Management Services turns vision into action and advances association success for a variety of national, regional and local client partners, including nonprofit trade and professional organizations. AMR’s mission is through our passion, people and principles, AMR turns vision into action to enable client success. AMR services include headquarters and administrative support, executive leadership, board management, research and issue management, government affairs, conference and event management, technology support and website development, content management, fundraising, and marketing and creative services. AMR is charter accredited by the AMC Institute and active in the American Society of Association Executives. To learn more, visit www.AMRms.com.
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