Gazette parent to close marketing agency Fusionfarm by year’s end

CEDAR RAPIDS - Folience, the parent company of The Gazette, said Tuesday it would close its 7-year-old marketing agency by year's end.

'The decision to close Fusionfarm was not easy,” Daniel Goldstein, CEO and president of Folience, said in a statement. 'Fusionfarm has excelled at quality, award-winning work over the years, and we appreciate the high level of marketing expertise, advice and insight given to their clients and companies in the Folience family.

'The business model for Fusionfarm was not economically sustainable.”

Fusionfarm recently won its third Midwest Emmy award for its work on the 'Downtown Cedar Rapids Sucks” campaign and was invited by AdAge to pitch to Procter & Gamble.”

Client work on the books will be concluded in this year's fourth quarter, he said.

Thirteen employees will be affected by the shutdown.

'We will work with our clients to complete or transition existing contracts and work,” Director Kelly Homewood said.

'I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to bring together and work with this amazing and talented group of professionals.”