In our haste to get the story out, apparently we are guilty of a gross omission. Well, at least we got it half right. According to one of our more vocal fans, we only told half the story in our piece last Friday honoring Fleishman-Hillard’s EVP, Senior Partner and Head of Marketing, Rich Jernstedt. The other half is the somewhat sad tale of Rich’s twin brother... Larry.

It is certainly an interesting case study. Larry “Bud” Jernstedt (seen directly below on the right) had the exact same genetic make up, the same upbringing, virtually the same education. Some say, he's every bit the clothes horse as Rich. But for some reason, Larry did not achieve the same level of accomplishment as his illustrious twin.

As we said earlier, Rich is the epitome of success in the PR Biz. On the other hand Larry's career has been somewhat challenged.

Serving for 4 years in the U.S. Navy, Larry rose to the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. Upon leaving the Navy in 1982, he joined Littleton Smails & Associates in Beaverton, Oregon, as an Junior Account Executive in the agency's B2B practice. There he rose to Group Manager in 1992. During that time, he made his mark with his one and only client Mansfield Sprockets. Larry is credited for having written and introduced the technical specs for the now world famous Mansfield 24-Tooth sprocket. In Larry's words, "It not only provides the required clearance for fat 180mm applications, it is designed for use with a 530 power chain without any inner primary modifications."

Due to agency cutbacks, in 1993 Bud went out on his own. After close to seven years of freelancing, he was able to land a part-time position at Dick Hannah Auto Group in Portland. And today, Larry "Bud" Jernstedt is one of the top Suburu salesmen in the State of Oregon.

AGAIN, it's quite an interest study. What possibly could have been the cause of the radically different careers of Larry and Rich? Nature? Nurture? It should be so apparent but at the same time is so hard to say. Certainly, it is something that begs further examination and study by the students of the our industry.