Star Group, the US’s largest woman-owned marketing communications agency, is to merge with Vox Medica and its parent company, Independence Healthcom Strategies Group (IHSG).
Star Group has also absorbed Calcium NYC, a full service healthcare agency created by the former founding partners of Wishbone.
The combined group has entered the market as Calcium. Star Group will be the holding company, combining Calcium NYC and Vox Medica, a Philadelphia-based strategy-based healthcare marketing communications agency, with its healthcare division, Star Life Sciences.
This will, Star Group said in a statement, create ‘an independent healthcare marketing communications company with an unprecedented blend of talents and capabilities’.
Steven Michaelson will be Calcium group CEO. His management team will consist of: managing partner/ chief operating officer Timmy Garde; chief strategic officer Lorna Weir; president Renee Mellas; chief creative officer Steve Hamburg and director of business development Judy Capano.
Calcium will operate out of its NYC and Philadelphia offices.
“As a result of this merger we have developed an agency with the agility to move as quickly as today’s rapidly evolving healthcare industry,” said Michelson. “Knowledge, creativity, speed, and flexibility make us an attractive option compared to the bureaucratic big agency mind set.”
Star Group CEO Linda Rosanio added that the new partnership will enhance her organisation’s offerings to both clients and the industry at large.
“As one company, this innovative independent healthcare group combines some of the best industry talent with a strong technology orientation in order to provide clients with a breakthrough marketing edge,” she said.