White House officials and big-name CEOs will take a whirlwind tour of the Triangle Monday morning as the region awaits the arrival of President Barack Obama.

Members of Obama's administration and Jobs Council will divide up to meet and greet at ad agency McKinney and N.C. Central in Durham, Biogen Idec's and DuPont's operations in Research Triangle Park, and N.C. State's Centennial Campus in Raleigh.

The five "listening and action" sessions are tied to hot economic topics for politicians eager to prove they're fighting to produce more jobs, including entrepreneurship, biotechnology, energy innovation, workforce training and manufacturing. They'll hear from local business leaders, such as Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, Elster Solutions CEO Mark Munday and Geomagic CEO Ping Fu.

The group's local visit is scheduled to kick off with a reception at American Tobacco Historic District in Durham Sunday night, and will culminate with Obama's visit to Cree, the Durham-based LED lighting company.

Durham advertising agency McKinney has snared yet another new account: EAS, the sports nutrition brand that is part health care giant Abbott Laboratories.

McKinney, the Triangle's largest ad agency, announced this morning that it will provide a full range of marketing communication services for EAS as its agency of record. That will include reinventing its new client's Web site, eas.com, and relaunching the brand next year, according to the agency.

Financial details weren't disclosed. The EAS line-up includes AdvantEDGE and Myoplex daily nutrition products and Betagen and Phospagen strength-building products.

Durham's American Tobacco Campus has inked one of its original anchor tenants to an additional seven years.

Ad agency McKinney announced this week that it has extended its lease to 2021. The company moved from downtown Raleigh to American Tobacco in 2004 and now leases 55,000 square feet in the complex.

The agency, which has hired 60 people over the last six weeks and now employs 230, was halfway through its original 10-year lease.

Joni Madison, McKinney's chief operating officer, said the agency's lease terms didn't change but it did receive other benefits that she declined to name.
“It's not necessarily in the lease, but we were able to gain things that made it worth our while to extend the lease,” Madison said.

McKinney’s extension comes at a time when office demand is waning as the recession causes companies to shrink or close. Many tenants are hunting for discounts or trying to renegotiate existing leases. 

Madison said the company's American Tobacco space helps the agency compete for national clients and employees. 

"If your single motivation is I've got to reduce my overhead and my leasing expense, then great," she said. "But if you feel that your space is key to your culture. Is key to your ability to attract clients, those types of things. Then you really have to look at the whole picture." 

Michael Goodmon, vice president of real estate for Capitol Broadcast Company, which owns American Tobacco, said Capitol was able to retain a key tenant and ensure that McKinney’s lease wouldn’t expire at the same time as other tenants.

Goodmon said 97 percent of the 800,000 square feet of space in the entire American Tobacco Historic District is currently leased.

Here are more letters regarding the health-care reform debate. Some of these are still under consideration for print. Find other letters on tomorrow's Other Opinion page

Another round of letters on health care reform, nine in all.

Another round of letters on health care reform, nine in all.

Baby talk is in at Durham advertising agency McKinney.

The Triangle's largest ad agency announced this morning that it has been hired by Japan-based Aprica -- maker of baby strollers, car seats and other children's products -- to work on global campaigns that will incorporate both traditional and new media, including the development of a global Web site.

"A key part of this assignment is bringing [Aprica products] back to America," said McKinney President Jeff Jones.

Aprica, acquired last year by Newell Rubbermaid, which also makes Graco brand infant products, is the No. 1 stroller brand in Japan. It posted worldwide sales of about $122 million in the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2007. But Aprica's products haven't been available in the U.S. for years.

Financial details weren't disclosed.

Jones said the agency's latest client resonates with McKinney's 162 employees, many of whom are parents.

"It's hard not to fall in love with working in this category," he said.

Last month McKinney was retained by giant insurer Nationwide, the agency's largest account win ever. Other clients include Coldwell Banker, Gold's Gym, NASDAQ, Sherwin-Williams, Travelocity and Virgin Mobile.