Ever since Brad Brinegar became McKinney's CEO six years ago, he has talked with the Durham advertising agency's corporate parent about acquiring the business.

After rebuffing Brinegar for years, the parent company -- global advertising firm Havas of Paris -- finally said yes.

McKinney and Havas announced Thursday that McKinney's management team, led by Brinegar, has acquired 100 percent ownership of the 180-person agency for an undisclosed sum.

Management previously owned a minority stake.

"We believe there is a great upside in being independent," Brinegar said.

Havas CEO Fernando Rodes Vila said in a prepared statement that the company will focus on its core businesses -- Euro RSCG, Havas Media and Arnold. "The sale is beneficial for both parties," Vila said.

Havas executives couldn't be reached for further comment.

Profit at Havas rose 81 percent last year to $131 million. Revenue increased 4.1 percent to $2.4 billion.

McKinney, by far the Triangle's largest ad agency, was enjoying robust growth until late 2006, when the agency lost two of its largest clients: Audi of America and Sony Electronics. That triggered layoffs of 40 workers and a drop in annual revenue, from $38 million in 2006 to $25 million last year.

But Brinegar said revenue is on the upswing in 2008. Last year, the agency added Virgin Atlantic Airways, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. and Virgin Mobile USA to its client roster. The revenue effect from those accounts will kick in this year, he said.

"The end of 2006 was certainly a difficult and disappointing time," Brinegar said. "2007 was a major rebound."

The fact that Havas is financing the agency's acquisition by McKinney's management team is an indication of the agency's health, Brinegar said.

The pluses of being independent, Brinegar said, include being more entrepreneurial.

"I think the sense of ownership is a very powerful thing in our industry," he said. "The fruits of our success come to the people who create it."

Reji Puthenveetil of Raleigh marketing and management consulting firm Group Newhouse said agencies that are part of a large, publicly traded holding companies have to focus on making quarterly numbers, rather than planning for the long term. Mean- while, much of the cooperation and efficiency that are supposed to come with being part of a larger entity never materialize.

In the fall of 2006, a group of managers at Howard, Merrell & Partners, backed by local investors, acquired the Raleigh advertising agency from its corporate parent, Interpublic Group of New York.

Havas bought McKinney in 2001 -- the agency was McKinney & Silver then -- from MarchFirst, an Internet consulting firm that filed for bankruptcy.

Brinegar said McKinney is well-positioned because of its expertise and experience with digital advertising, including Internet and mobile ads. The agency gets 35 percent of its overall revenue from digital advertising.

"That's not a bad place to be at all," Puthenveetil said. "Companies want to spend more and more of their money online, and they want an agency that understands that marketplace."

A dozen McKinney executives, including Brinegar, participated in the buyout. Among them were Jeff Jones, president; Andrew Delbridge, chief strategy officer; Joni Madison, chief operating officer; and Jonathan Cude, chief creative officer.