Last fall during the Company of Friends Roadshow, I visited Work Advertising in Richmond, Virginia.

On Labor Day, Cabell Harris, the company's president and chief creative officer, will launch a new extension of the business: Work Labs. A product development company building on the activities of Work Brands, Work Labs currently has more than 20 products in development. Product categories include china, stationery, fashion accessories, books, toiletries, home decor, holiday novelties, and office supplies.

"This new venture is not so much a departure from advertising as it is an evolution within the industry," Harris says. "I'm in the idea business. Only now, the ideas aren't just about other people's creations. We're going to market our own creations, too, taking them from concept to production through marketing."

It's good to see some of the ideas Harris and I explored last fall coming to fruition!