David Baldwin is stepping down from Baldwin&, the independent North Carolina agency he founded in 2009, after selling the agency to three longtime staffers. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Jerry Bodrie, Ashley Yetman and Tonya Martin—the Raleigh shop’s managing director, director of strategy and director of project management, respectively—will become “co-equal operators,” or the equivalent of co-CEOs.

Baldwin, whose title has long been “lead guitar” rather than CEO, a nod to his musical background, will become chairman emeritus of the 35-person shop for the next 18 months, though he is essentially retiring from agency life.

“I’ve been slowly engineering this change with care and time for a few years now, and I am just so moved as I depart, leaving an amazing team to run this ship,” Baldwin told Ad Age. “At Baldwin&, we’ve done things a little differently than most agencies. Under the direction of Jerry, Ashley and Tonya, and our entire leadership team, Baldwin& will continue to drive purpose in the work, alongside companies that mean something and are creating positive change. We’ve created something way bigger than me.” 

Baldwin began his career as a copywriter at New York agency McCaffrey & McCall in the 1980s. After stops at five other agencies around the country, he joined North Carolina agency McKinney & Silver in 1998 and would stay for almost a decade, rising to executive creative director and partner. During much of this time, he was also chairman of the board of The One Club.

He founded Baldwin& in February 2009. The agency immediately distinguished itself with its purpose-driven mission, long before purpose was fashionable. By 2012, it was B Corp certified—one of the first agencies ever to garner that distinction—and was renowned for turning down client suitors it deemed not a good fit.

“The way to build a world-class agency in North Carolina is do it ourselves, and do it carefully,” Baldwin said in 2012, when Baldwin& was named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, just three years into its existence. “We don’t want to be chasing profit for someone else. ... Doing the best work we possibly can do is what will lead to success for us.”

The agency’s recent purpose-driven work has included “Stand With the Mothers,” a campaign for breastfeeding and post-partum brand Lansinoh that demanded equality for new moms; “Feed by Example” for Ithaca Hummus, emphasizing real food over processed ingredients; and “Dirt Is Good for the Soul” for KIOTI Tractor, featuring two short films with a wounded combat veteran.

He told Ad Age this week: “What sets Baldwin& apart is our unwavering focus on purpose and meaning. In every endeavor, we are interested in how a brand can drive an entire organization, not just the communications.” 

The trio who are taking over for Baldwin echo those same sentiments and said they plan to follow his blueprint for the agency that is now theirs.

“David’s legacy is about doing things differently and giving a damn,” said Yetman. “We have always approached our work together through a non-traditional lens in search of the magical intersection between purpose-driven strategy and creativity.” 

Operationally, Bodrie, Yetman and Martin said they already essentially serve as co-CEOs, so the transition should be smooth. “Because of our different job descriptions, we each bring different perspectives to decisions and discussions, which helps us move forward as a group,” said Martin.

There are also no plans to change the agency name. “Baldwin& has been our brand for nearly 15 years and our brand isn’t changing, so neither is the name,” said Bodrie.

Baldwin&’s current clients include Zulily, Volvo Trucks, Epic Games, Lansinoh, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tires, Long John Silver’s and Kioti Tractor. 

In addition to founding and running Baldwin&, Baldwin also co-founded Ponysaurus Brewing Co. (which is not affected by the changes at Baldwin&); co-founded “Take Your Seat,” a company that develops and promotes Black leadership into the boardrooms of America; and wrote the book “The Belief Economy.”

He is also a music fanatic. His performances over the years have included serving as lead guitarist for Pants!, the in-house McKinney band that shredded the competition at several ad-industry “battle of the bands” contests in the mid-2000s.