Ally & Gargano

Founder and CEO Fred Smith of FedEx (name changed in 1994), has publicly stated, "Had it not been for Ally & Gargano, Federal Express would probably not exist today."On May 18, 1959, Amil Gargano, art director, and Jim Durfee, copywriter, arrived at LaGuardia Airport to meet a grateful Carl Ally waiting on the tarmac waving enthusiastically with a half-eaten pastrami sandwich.Carl, highly intelligent, articulate, opinionated and bumptious, was summoned to Detroit on December 15, 1959, and was immediately fired by a senior management who feared a man they felt they could not bend to their will.Amil Gargano and Jim Durfee, angered by Carl's harsh and financially punishing dismissal, left Campbell-Ewald in New York for Benton & Bowles and J. Walter Thompson respectively.The aggressive advertising created by A&G resulted in the breakup of the AT&T monopoly and rocketed MCI to achieve the highest revenue growth at that time in the history of American business.
Advertising agencyCarl AllyNYTimesNew YorkWesray Capital CorporationAmerican Advertising Federation Hall of FameWayback MachineArt Directors Club Hall of FameArt Directors Club of New York