Profiles of the Powerful: Advertising Exec Dudley Fitzpatrick

In a sense, the entrance to SFGT is a window into the person who leads the company, Dudley Fitzpatrick, CEO. Open the big front door of the old town house on Walnut Street and the first thing you notice is three old stone steps. Couldn’t they afford new steps?
Then you see the second door. It’s all glass and through it you see the modern reception room,
the classic furniture, the attractive receptionist and the small oriental rug in the center of the beautiful wood floor. “I get it,” you think to yourself.

When you meet Dudley and chat with him, you really get it. He’s a traditionalist, like the steps and the beams on the ceiling. He’s confident and assertive, like the stately furniture and the offices themselves. He’s tasteful, like the oriental rug and like the conference room on the fifth floor. You go there for the interview after a trip on the modern elevator.

And Dudley’s a trip.

This is a man who knows where he’s going, who wants to do it the right way, who has strong feelings about his beloved business. Notice that I didn’t say “his beloved advertising business.” He...