One of the oldest and best-known public relations firms in the Chicago area, Theodore R. Sills, Inc., dates from the early 1930's, although the agency has experienced several name changes during the period. In 1933 Theodore Sills, formerly an advertising manager for a carpet company, organized Press Relations, Inc. In 1934 he became a partner in a new firm, Seaberg-Sills. Two years later the name changed again, this time to Theodore R. Sills and Company. The firm represented the steel companies during negotiations in 1942 which resulted in the so-called “Little Steel Formula.” This formula, which tied wages to the cost of living, subsequently served as the basis of wage decisions for all workers by the War Labor Board. Because of expansion into the international market, the name was changed to Theodore R. Sills, Inc. in 1965.
