Pros
RS&E partners have a good old-school work ethic, respect their clients, run a tight ship, and maintain fairly well the family spirit, warmth and legacy of a woman who for years was one of the most interesting and cherished people in Sacramento -- founder Jean Runyon. The agency is quite excellent at dotting the i's of complex state communications campaign contracts, and at patiently working with the vagaries of campaigns that blow erratically in Sacramento's political crosswinds. RS&E is exceptional at creating and maintaining multi-disciplinary work teams; hence the agency can summon, through adept sub-contracting, the power of an agency many times its size.
Cons
The seeds of creativity have never sprouted at RS&E. After 50+ years, the agency still fails to have even one famous advertising campaign to its credit. Recently, the ads are more hip-looking, but remain me-too and pedestrian -- made more of common executional flourishes than truly big ideas. Senior partners with heavy PR and Public Affairs experience often direct the advertising efforts, where they have less experience (quality or quantity) than senior management at other agencies in Sacramento or throughout California. People who are diverse, creative, passionate, and who don't "fit in" with the kind of room-temperature, suburban Stepford vibe at RS&E, tend to get alienated, subtly nudged aside, or eventually fired. To some extent, chaos breeds creativity, and there is zero point zero zero zero chaos at RS&E.