Isle advertising
vet Seigle set
to retire
The chairman of the state's
Star-Bulletin staff
largest marketing firm is
leaving this monthJack M. Seigle, one of the heavyweights of Hawaii's advertising industry, plans to retire as chairman of Starr Seigle Communications at the end of the month.
After a career spanning nearly four decades, Seigle, 65, said he wants to spend more time doing such things as traveling, writing and shooting pool, a game he considered himself very good at 35-40 years ago. He has been Starr Seigle chairman since 1983.
Seigle said he decided more than a year ago that he wanted to retire and spent the past year turning over responsibilities to others at Starr Seigle, the state's largest marketing firm. Jack Bates, 58, chief executive of the company, has been named his successor and will oversee daily operations of Starr Seigle's five divisions.
Seigle is best known for his role in crafting political campaigns in Hawaii, including being with the winning team in every gubernatorial race since 1970.
That year he helped John Burns get elected to the state's top political spot using an acclaimed television documentary, "Catch A Wave."
Seigle played a role in more than 100 campaigns, including those of former Gov. George Ariyoshi and former U.S. Rep. Spark Matsunaga.
Seigle said he has collected lots of material from those campaigns and now would like to write about his experiences.
He said he will maintain an office at Starr Seigle as a consultant, assisting some government and business accounts.
"I feel blessed to have worked with so many fine people over the years and on so many challenging projects," Seigle said.
Among his honors are the Honolulu Advertising Club's "Man of the Year" award in 1965 and the American Advertising Federation's Silver Medal in 1973.
Seigle's career in advertising began at Dow Chemical. He joined mainland agency Lennen & Newell Inc. in 1958, taking over its Hawaii office in 1962 and tripling accounts in three years.
Starr Seigle was formed in 1983 with the merger of Starr McCombs Koch and Seigle Rolfs & Wood. The company last year had nearly $50 million in billings. It employs more than 70 people in Hawaii and Guam.
