January 2, 2018
Last week marked not only the end of a year, but the end of an era for our agency with the passing of our founder, Lou Williams. In light of this sad news, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts about the man who meant so much to me both personally and professionally. Lou enjoyed life and followed his dreams. He had success in business and was a leader, teacher, author and mentor to many. He also had a love of travel, sailing, flying, photography and woodworking that took him on many adventures.
Lou started L.C. Williams & Associates because he wanted to make a difference in the public relations industry – and he did. A veteran of big, national agencies, he set out to create a firm that had all of the strategic thinking and capabilities of a large agency but with the personal approach and dedication of a smaller firm. LCWA has been operating under that same philosophy for more than 30 years. To honor his important contributions to our industry, Lou became a Fellow in both the International Association of Business Communicators and Institute for Public Relations and its Measurement Commission.He had the spirit and energy of an entrepreneur who was not afraid to take risks. I will be forever grateful to him for having the confidence in me to lead the firm after his retirement. As the second-generation owner, I often find myself asking, “What would Lou do?” when faced with important business decisions. His guidance has proven to be very important to the company and to me.
Lou’s influence at our firm goes far beyond his name on the front door. Today, we focus on providing a valuable agency experience to our clients, just as Lou did. All of us at LCWA will continue to pursue his vision and honor his legacy. He certainly will be missed.