LEADERSHIP PROFILES

 

BRYAN PETTIGREW—MARKETING/INNOVATIONS

Bryan Pettigrew received his degree in Communication from the University of Oklahoma and began his career in Oklahoma City as a Sales Representative and then moved into the position of Director of Promotions and Special Events at Remington Park, a division of the DeBartolo Corporation.

 

He then joined the marketing department of Sam Houston Race Park in 1995 and was promoted to Vice President of Marketing in 1999. During his tenure in Houston, Pettigrew continuously increased the attendance and revenues at the track through his multi-divisional marketing department.  Pettigrew's departments included Advertising, Promotions, Media & Public Relations, Corporate Sponsorships, Group and Luxury Suite Sales.

 

In 2000, Pettigrew joined the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) in Lexington, Kentucky as the Special Assistant to the Commissioner and was named Vice President of Sponsorships later that year. His first priorities when joining the league office for Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. was to develop the sponsorship department and create a national charity affiliation for the sport.  In the first year Pettigrew created NTRA Charities, a 501 C3 corporation, and established a long-term joint-partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities and the McDonald's Corporation.  Over the next three years, Pettigrew and the sponsorship team at the NTRA took the sport which previously had one national sponsor, to a major league level by adding 10 multi-million dollar sponsorships.

 

In 2002, the NTRA acquired Equisource LLC, a group purchasing company, and created a for-profit subsidiary, NTRA Purchasing. Pettigrew was named Vice President of this division and began developing sponsorship packages based on sales to the Thoroughbred industry, which attracted companies like Dodge, John Deere, Nextel and FedEx.

 

Bryan Pettigrew has served on numerous boards and committees throughout his career including the following: Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors', the Advisory Board of the Spring Independent School District Education Foundation, the Executive Marketing Committee for the American Quarter Horse Association, the Marketing Task Force of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Board of Directors of the American Marketing Association—Houston, Board of Directors and treasurer of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation—Oklahoma City and served for eight years as a big brother with Big Brothers / Big Sisters of  America.

 

BLAKE PETTIGREW—CLIENT SERVICES/RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Prior to graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Blake Pettigrew and his brother Bryan worked together at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, where he gained a proficient understanding of promotions, customer service and how the DeBartolo Corporation ran its entertainment businesses.  At that point he and his brother always had discussions about someday working together and owning their own company.  

 

However, Blake's career took him into the mortgage and real estate business. Along with five partners, Blake Pettigrew started Old School Financial based in Denver and began lending operations in Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada and Texas. His niche would become working with large capital and lending companies, while gaining funding and financial services for his clients. His clients were Murchison Capital - Dallas; Koch Genesis - Wichita, KS; Trans  Lending - Denver; Meecorp Capital - New Jersey;  The St. Clair Company - Huntington, CA; Cornerstone Holdings - Aspen; Pulte Mortgage Corporation - Denver; and GMAC Commercial.  

 

In 2004, Blake began taking on clients within Affinity Sports Marketing and eventually would lead the development and launch of a project with Moroch Partners and Video Gamers League called - Midnight Gaming Championships. Blake has overseen over 60 national video game tournament productions in 2006 and 2007. MGC tournaments have been held at Wal-Mart and McDonald's Restaurants in 20 different cities. The MGC Finals have been held at Ameriquest Field and the American Airlines Center.  MGC has become a hit within the video gaming community and Affinity has begun planning larger scale productions for 2008, as well as, a Hispanic tournament series called the Latino Gamerz Match.

 

MELINDA PETTIGREW—OPERATIONS/FINANCE

Melinda oversees all office administration and finance duties at Affinity Sports Marketing and Major Gaming Championships. Melinda is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and has a Masters in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma.

 

MARNIE BROWN—SPECIAL EVENTS PRODUCTION

Marnie Brown is a graduate of Oklahoma City University and began her advertising and marketing career at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.  While there, she developed many marketing, advertising and promotional campaigns. After leaving Remington, Brown worked for ASE Group coordinating corporate events and meetings in Kansas City.  

 

SHELLY POWELL—MARKETING/SALES

With over 15 years experience in managing and building client relationships, assessing competitive markets and implementing sales and marketing strategies, Shelly Powell has brought a new dimension to the Affinity Sports Marketing Team. Her backgrounds in new product development, introductions and sales training make her invaluable resource for Affinity.

 

While at the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity she created and implemented fund raising strategies increasing support from individuals, corporation and foundations. Played a key role in identifying, cultivating and soliciting major donors and planned gifts while developing and maintaining a direct mail campaign for annual fund raising and designing the inaugural fund raising event "House Party" ~ first year event raised over $50K. Shelly was also Instrumental in fund raising efforts for the first "20 House Build" with over $1 million raised.  

 

Prior to residing in Dallas, Powell was at Eastman Kodak, Minneapolis and marketed computer graphic peripherals within a defined territory, while building strategic partnerships and maintaining client relationships. Recognized for the ability to develop and maintain quality customer relationships. Throughout her career she has also worked with other such companies as Calcomp, TLS and Wallace Computer Services. Powell is a graduate of the University of Texas.

 

LAURIE KEMPS—PUBLICITY/MARKETING

Laurie brings 12 years experience in the marketing, promotions and public relations industry for such clients as DowBrands, Quaker Oats, Tyson, ConAgra and No Nonsense Fashions.  Her background includes strategic promotion planning, media relations, creative conception and development and building and maintaining client relationships.  

 

For Quaker Oats and Dow Brands, Laurie was instrumental in developing annual promotion plans and then following those plans through to implementation. This included budgeting, creative and post-plan analysis. She also has experience in competitive analysis, integrated marketing and developing and implementing sales force incentive programs.

 

Laurie has been on the agency side throughout her entire career with agencies such as Rapp Collins Communications and Campbell-Mithun Esty. She prides herself on developing long-lasting client relationships. Laurie has a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations from Illinois State University.

 

JAMES BALLARD - CREATIVE

James Ballard has over 17 years of experience in advertising as a leader, mentor, art director and designer. He has helped companies develop comprehensive branding campaigns, launch new products and create breakthrough, effective advertising.

 

Throughout his career, he has developed ad campaigns for Fortune 100 companies to regional and local accounts including: Radioshack and its many strategic partners (including Sprint, Verizon, DISH, SIRIUS, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, HP and Monster Cable) Pizza Hut, Pepsi, American Airlines, Harrah’s Casino’s, Verizon, Gaylord Hotels, and a variety of other retail and business accounts.

 

He most recently held senior management positions for Circle R Group and TracyLocke where he led creative teams, consulted with strategic partners and streamlined processes. Previously, he held Art Director positions at agencies in Texas and Michigan. James has a BFA in Design Communications from Texas Tech University.

 

GINA ODOM, CPA - ACCOUNTING

Gina brings 15 years of cost accounting, financial accounting and strategic planning experience to Affinity. She has consistently provided outstanding results in managerial and operational functions for companies such as Digital Standard, Peterbilt Motors, ViON Corporation and Menasco Aerosystems.

 

Gina's vast experience in corporate accounting has improved departmental performance and decreased budgets. Gina has her Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Southern Methodist University and is a CPA.

 

BRIAN AVERS—EVENTS

Brian was the "Ultimate Intern" at Affinity for two years, so we hired him after completing college. He graduated with a degree in Entertainment and Sports Promotion Management at Northwood University. Brian is an avid music lover and sports fan that lettered in varsity baseball at Southlake Carroll for two years. He also played two more years at Northwood University before hanging up the cleats. Brian oversees the on-site management and activation of the Midnight Gaming Championships.

 

NATALIE ENGLE-MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Natalie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Communication, and minors in Business and Sociology. After graduating from Keller High School, she continued to build her experience by interning for the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma, leading the OU Communication department as the Honor Society President, and networking through participation with the Center for Risk and Crisis Management.

 

MICHAEL BARTON - VIDEO PRODUCTION

Michael Barton has been serving the media and creative professionals of the DFW area since 2000. His digital video services include production, post-production, DVD authoring and duplication. He has created videos for sales, marketing, promotion, training, documentary, advertising and broadcast television, consistently delivering creative and cost effective solutions for clients. From script to the finished product, Michael has the experience and creative edge communication professionals demand in today’s competitive and fast-changing technology climate.

 

Some of Michael’s clients include: Mary Kay Cosmetics, Trane, Blockbuster, Wilsonart, McDonalds, John Deere, Career Physicians, EPSN and CBS Sports.

 

MICHAEL O'MALLEY

Mike has been involved in sports and travel from an early age. He is the youngest of five and his family moved from California to Dallas where Mike would eventually attend Carroll High School and excel in band and play on the varsity La Cross team. Mike has lived in Hawaii and competed in Mixed Martial Arts (UFC Style Fighting) competitions in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. When he’s not busy you can probably find him playing Call of Duty. Mike manages Affinity’s national gaming events, including Blockbuster Summer Games and Midnight Gaming Championships.