What Made STIR Valuable
STIR wasn’t a volume play. It was a reputation play.
The agency had spent a quarter century building its name in Milwaukee. Inbound leads came through the website, driven by strong SEO, consistent content, and regional visibility, but the real engine was word of mouth. STIR’s brand carried weight. When prospects searched for an agency, STIR showed up. When they asked around, STIR came up again.
The team was lean by design. Nine people, including senior leaders overseeing earned media, digital development, and creative. Brian had scaled the operation for profitability, keeping overhead tight while maintaining the capabilities that mattered. It was a machine built to generate margin, not headcount.
How Palmer Helped
Palmer worked with Brian to find a buyer who could do what he did: lead business development, build client relationships, and set strategic direction. That’s not a skill set you find on every term sheet.
The process started with understanding what made STIR tick beyond the P&L. The brand equity. The client loyalty. The team culture, relaxed but demanding, close-knit but professional. All of that had to translate to the right buyer, or the deal wouldn’t work.
Palmer ran outreach focused on candidates with agency backgrounds and entrepreneurial instincts. Each conversation was filtered through a simple question: can this person step into Brian’s role and build on what’s here? Financial capability mattered, but so did fit.
As the process moved forward, Palmer helped Brian think through the details that don’t show up in an LOI. Transition timeline. Team continuity. His own role post-close. Selling a business you built from scratch over 25 years isn’t just a transaction. Palmer was there for the strategic decisions and the harder conversations that came with letting go.
Rick Stoner Steps In
Rick Stoner had spent 20 years in the agency world, with executive roles at Bader Rutter and Derse, plus stints at digital and experiential shops across Milwaukee and Chicago. He knew how integrated agencies operated. He’d led teams, built client relationships, and developed brands. He wasn’t learning on the job.
What caught Brian’s attention was Rick’s perspective on STIR. “I’ve always admired STIR’s ability to put together custom, integrated marketing solutions that achieve challenging client objectives with a nimble team of experts who excel at their craft,” Rick said. He wasn’t looking to overhaul the agency. He was looking to build on it.
Rick acquired STIR through Glancey Holdings, an investment partnership he founded. He brought in six minority investors, each selected for their business and marketing expertise. It was a bench built for growth.
