Beginning of the Ad-venture

     COMMUNIQUE came into existence in July 1979 in a spare bedroom equipped with a card table, a typewriter, and a rented answering machine. Founder Steve Veile had graduated with a bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri - Columbia five years earlier, and had built a solid foundation of communication experience. He emerged from college with a job as a public relations coordinator. He next made his way through the State Senate and Governor's Office, and then worked as a photographer for United Press International and a reporter for a state newspaper chain. At 26 he decided to take the plunge and start his own "creative writing service" in that spare bedroom of his home.
     All entrepreneurs feel a pressure to avoid failure, but Veile experienced a very unique motivation to succeed; 10 days after leaving his steady job as a reporter and starting his own business, he and his wife, Kay, learned they would soon become the parents of twins.
     Against the advice of two lawyers, Veile incorporated the business on January 2, 1980. COMMUNIQUE opened an office shared with EBS Recording at 411 Madison Street. By February 1980, the staff had grown to three – a former TV news reporter working as COMMUNIQUE's media specialist, a secretary shared with EBS, and Veile. With these investments made, he had not only the fate of his wife and unborn sons resting on his shoulders, but also the investments of his friends and family whom he had convinced to buy stock in his fledgling company, and the livelihoods of his two employees.

Learning to Swim

     Just getting the business off the ground in the summer of 1979 was the biggest risk he's faced, Veile said. "At that point, I had zero income and few prospects. It was time to sink or swim. Thankfully, I learned to swim."
     In 1983, COMMUNIQUE moved to its current location, the Ewing House on East Capitol Avenue. Built in 1873 and restored to its 19th century glory, the building was designated as a local landmark. Then in 1984, Veile hired Ed Stroesser, who today serves as COMMUNIQUE's president and chief operating officer. Stroesser and Veile met in the early '70s while pursuing their journalism degrees at the University of Missouri – Columbia. While Veile was founding the business, Stroesser began his public relations career with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
     Despite the agency's success at consumer advertising, having racked up several awards and achieved a comfortably profitable position, Veile recognized in 1986 that retail advertising was not the road he wished COMMUNIQUE to follow. With Stroesser, Veile led the agency in a new direction, choosing work with clients looking for targeted, longer-term solutions rather than simply an attention-getting advertisement.

Reaching Out

     Throughout the rest of the '80s and '90s, COMMUNIQUE followed Veile's plan of reaching out to clients in need of real communication solutions, leaving the shorter term, less deliberate work of consumer retail advertising to other agencies that had sprung up in mid-Missouri.
      By the turn of the millennium, the agency had developed its major areas of expertise: agriculture, banking, telecommunication and associations. Associations, political candidates and banks had always been clients, and the staff's experience in these areas continues to draw such clients.

COMMUNIQUE Today

     After 28 years in business, COMMUNIQUE has really hit the mark in many ways. Insight and experience has fueled the development of on-target solutions. Years of service have provided the agency with many clients, enabling the business to meet its financial goals. Nonetheless, the firm plans to continue to aim high in serving the communication needs of regional and national clients, including the Independent Community Bankers of America, the national United Soybean Board, Ameren UE and the Missouri Cable Telecommunications Association.