After months of deliberation, speculation and a clever play on science lead to the naming of Chicago agency Element 79 Partners, I propose a more appropriate name for the shop: Athena.

Why Athena? Simple. Like the Greek goddess of wisdom, war and craft who sprang from the head of Zeus full-grown, Element 79 (E79) hit the ground running with the wisdom of top level creatives and a client list to make even the largest network shop salivate.

OK, so I don't think the creative minds that came up with the monkier Element 79 Partners (Au79 represents gold on the periodic table of elements) would appreciate my suggestion. However, I shall still argue my case.

A $400-million start-up, E79 emerged from the conflict created when a core PepsiCo. agency, Foote Cone & Belding, was acquired by a competitive network. To quell the much publicized and nearly litigated conflict, the new Omnicom agency was born. Many FCB creatives followed PepsiCo. brands (such as Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Quaker, Frito-Lay Snacks, Aquafina and Tropicana and Dole juices), including president Brian Williams, and former J. Walter Thompson ECD Dennis Ryan who was recruited as CCO. Pepsi and Mountain Dew are handled by BBDO, NY.

Since its official renaming in February, the 120-person shop ranks in the top 50 agencies size-wise, has worked with some of the industry's top-shelf talent and is looking to expand its client base."It's an agency of oxymorons," says Ryan, jovially posing the question, "Are we a small agency or a jumbo boutique? We are big agency players. That said, we have the ability to reinvent how we work by setting up around what is most effective to clients."

Downtime has not yet entered into the lexicon of the E79 collective conscious. Since its inception the agency has completed clever and compelling projects for Gatorade featuring Mia Hamm, directed by Phil Joanou of Villains (a transitional project from FCB) with effects from A52, a Theo Delaney-directed campaign for Tropicana through Hotspur & Argyle of London (see sidebar), an animated Aquafina spot directed by Dan Capozzi of Bermuda Shorts and Gatorade Energy Bar directed by Erich Joiner of Tool of North America.

Most recently, Michel Gondry of Partizan directed the spectacular effects-heavy "Drip" for Gatorade water brand Propel with special effects courtesy Paris' Buf.

In order to be on the ball from the get-go, the agency took advantage of a benefit of being a part of a network - it freelanced producers. "When there wasn't a full creative department, DDB filled in," he says, of the agreement that saw DDB producer Nicky Furno work on the Tropicana campaign. "There would be no Element 79 if not for DDB."

Now comfortably in stride, Ryan says E79 has a growth plan and admits their billings to date are "more than I ever thought they would be." However he insists success is better measured by breaking into new client groups (E79 recently won the Lands End account). "To me, those will be the huge wins."