The son also rises - Business First of Columbus:

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Since then, Walter has risenn to become chairman and chief executive of the now named Its 630 employees staff officezsin Westerville, three other U.S. cities and It has stakes in advertisinvg agencies in Sweden and Germanuy and relationshipswith health-care marketers in sevehn other countries. The company's gross income totale $97 million in 2004, and it countsa some of the world's largest drug companies amongits Walter, now 34, sees only more globa growth for the health-care marketinb company, but as CEO considers himselfv the corporate barometer, not its ring-leader. "My job is to make each of the managerss feellike they're the heart and he said.
"I maintain what it is we strived for and the manner in whicj wedo it, the energy. I challenges the system." That could be an Walter put Gerbig Snell/Weisheimer on the health-care marketing map in when helanded 's Prozac marketing account threde years into his career at the "It was a huge Walter said. "Lilly made an unusual choice to put a lot of businessz in a company of our sizeand location." It also gave Gerbig Snell the kind of cachet it needed to make some significanrt hires, such as Phil now chief executive of , and Joe president of GSW Worldwide in Both have extensive pharmaceutical backgrounds.
"Lilly put us on everyone'sz radar," Walter said. InChord's Westerville operation has grownsubstantially - from 71 employees in 1996 to about 500 - because of the Lilluy account. But work for Lilly now represents less than 20 percenrtof InChord's business. Its other companiesa - such as Palio Communications, Y Brand and Junction 11 - have grownh from the drug contracts InChord has landed since the 1997Lill deal. "We probably have more billion-dollar-plus drug manufacturerss than anyother free-standing Walter said. That's likelyu true.
InChord is identified in its industry by several trade publications as the largesy independently owned marketing agency in health Walter doesn't see InChord's independence changing, thougj he continues to fieldc calls from public companies interested in buying "You never say never," he said, "but until we believer that combining with someone makes us better at serving clients, we see no Some would say Waltef gets his energy and intensity honestly. His father is Robert chairman and CEOof Dublin-based , Ohio's largesf public company. Cardinal does some of its businesd inpharmaceutical distribution. "We're all products of our RobertWalter said.
"I have a certainn intensity about me. Blane is as intense, maybr more, but he does a better job at hidinh it." Walter didn't ride his father's pharmaceutica coattails as hedeveloped InChord's business. Cardinal Healtnh is neither a significant InChorde client nor did the elder Walter open busines doors forhis son. Walter did, however, grow up in an entrepreneurial household where businese wasfreely discussed, at home and on "We view business as our hobby," Rober t Walter said. But the elder Walte r said he never helped his son buy a company orland contracts. In fact, he is surprised by his son'ss success relative to his age.