September 12, 2018
When we set out on this journey on November 13, 2006, we had no idea what was ahead of us. We were
two (younger) guys with a drive to build something great. Early on, with the help of our team
members, we carefully crafted the 14 Principles that have guided Republica these
4,322 days.
And what a ride it has been!
We’ve enjoyed great triumphs and experienced heart-aching loss. We’ve been fiercely entrepreneurial
and nimble and have always made an effort to give back to the community. We’ve grown, evolved, and
learned from many mistakes along the way.
Our clients have been incredible. They’ve been our partners on this journey. We’ve accomplished so
much with them and for them. They’ve allowed us to do groundbreaking work, and we’ve been so proud
when that work has received national or global industry accolades. We are so grateful that they have
chosen us.
And then there’s our team. The Republica family. Together, we’ve shared so much,
including thousands of cafecitos. Many of us have been together through thick and thin for years.
And others have joined us more recently. Everyone is part of the story.
Now, the story evolves. The family grows.
We’ve been approached over the years by potential suitors; including holding companies and private
equity firms. We would always listen, but it never felt right. We knew that if and when we were to
consider some sort of alliance it would have to be on the right terms, with the right people. We
knew we would only want a partner that would allow us to keep doing what we love, yet give us a
global platform to grow and scale. Maintaining our independence, our team, and our secret sauce, our
familial culture, have always been paramount.
We’re beyond excited to inform you that we feel we have found that partner.
We will be joining forces with one of the world’s top marketing and communications companies,
Havas. As part of this new venture, we become Havas’ lead
multicultural agency partner in the United States.
You may ask why, or why now? The answer is simple. Why not. We recently reached our pinnacle,
something we’d worked hard to achieve for years. We’re now Ad Age’s number one independent U.S.
multicultural agency. Albeit a fantastic milestone, we can’t rest on our laurels.
As our industry experiences the most significant disruption of our lifetime, we believe that joining
forces now with Havas makes perfect sense.
Havas is a global, transformational leader in creative, media, data and analytics.
And its parent company, Vivendi, founded in 1835 in Paris, is one of the world’s leading media and
entertainment conglomerates, also owning Universal Music Group, France’s Canal +, and Gameloft,
among other major assets.
We thought long and hard about this decision.
One of the factors we’re most excited about is the new growth opportunities and many expanded
benefits we’ll now be able to offer our employees.
In closing, so many people deserve our gratitude today...our families, our friends and clients, and
each individual that contributed in small and big ways to this dream. You know who you are and we
thank you all.
And lastly, our name. We will be known to the world as Republica Havas.
We’re now part of this greater family, and we’re so excited to begin this new chapter of our journey,
together.
Jorge A. Plasencia, Chairman & CEO
Luis Casamayor, President
