Watch CBS News

Plante Moran Bids Farewell to its Ampersand

SOUTHFIELD -- Plante & Moran, the nation's 12th largest public accounting and business advisory firm, will be known as Plante Moran from now on, bidding farewell to its ampersand.

The change is prompted by tradition, growth and technology, according to Chief Marketing Officer and firm partner Jeff Antaya.

"The ampersand isn't compatible with current and emerging technologies and can't be used in a web address, for example," Antaya said. "Plus, many of Plante Moran's entities, such as Plante Moran Financial Advisors and Plante Moran Global Services, never used the ampersand; nor is it part of the firm logo or signage. This change helps make the strong Plante Moran brand even more consistent."

Unlike the trend among some professional service firms to shorten a litany of names and introduce one- name firms, the shedding of the ampersand is not a move to shorten the firm name. On the contrary, Antaya says losing the ampersand will help to keep the entire Plante Moran name intact.

"When staff members, clients and prospects say the firm name, the ampersand is generally omitted anyway. The ampersand also makes it too easy to shorten the name to Plante, and it is important to our firm's history and legacy to maintain the continuity of the Moran name, keeping the philosophies and spirit of Frank Moran alive for current and future generations of staff members," explains Antaya.  "Frankly, it's meaningful to us that the firm be known as Plante Moran."

Because the ampersand has been such an integral part of the firm's history, and in keeping with the Plante Moran tradition of offering the option of preparing a departure memo for departing staff (fondly referred to as a "green memo" from when the firm used bulletin board memos as a key form of communication), the firm is sponsoring a green memo contest for staff. Titled, "& Now What?" the ampersand-less contest runs through September 20th and requires interested staff to prepare a departure memo of up to 500 words for the ampersand. Based on a staff vote, prizes will be awarded for the best memos and the winning essay will become the ampersand's official green memo.

More at -- appropriately -- www.plantemoran.com,

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.