Mart calls himself a “brand message strategist,” which means this: helping companies, organizations and brands find the right words to communicate who they are and what makes them different. He does this using a process he developed called a JS Excavation®, which uncovers information, insights and ideas that inform the creation of mission statements, core values, brand positionings, key messages, brand names, taglines, and creative concepts.
Clients that Mart has led on a customized Excavation include Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Orkin, Rogers Electric, IDI (industrial real estate), and Purchasing Power (voluntary benefits), as well as a number of clients in the financial, educational, government, and not-for-profit sectors.
Mart joined Jackson Spalding in 2006 after spending 20 years with The Coca-Cola Company, where his positions included director of public relations for Coca-Cola North America and manager of worldwide sports publicity. During his career at Coke, he led publicity efforts for many of its brands, including Coca-Cola, diet Coke, Sprite and Barq’s; its major sports sponsorships, including the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, NASCAR and Super Bowl; and community programs undertaken by The Coca-Cola Foundation and local Coca-Cola Bottlers.
Prior to Coca-Cola, Mart was director of media and public relations for the 1985 United States Olympic Festival and the 1983 Special Olympics World Summer Games, both held in Baton Rouge, La. He also held positions with Heritage Publishing Company in Little Rock, Ark., and Mississippi Special Olympics.
When not excavating, Mart serves as chairman emeritus of the Board of Trustees for the Theatrical Outfit theatre company, and as an advisory board member for the University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communication and Journalism; the Kennesaw State University Department of Communication; and the Amos Art Academy. He is an elder at Dunwoody Community Church.
Mart graduated with honors from The University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Advertising with an emphasis in Marketing.
An avid reader and art collector, Mart enjoys spending time with his wife LeAnne, step-daughter Madeline, and their Lab/Shepherd rescue, Dakota. at their home in Sandy Springs.