About Us
Champion Soars
Fast forward a decade, and Champion’s exponential growth in the foodservice industry has vaulted it to the elite ranks of PR agencies, currently ranking as the second-largest Restaurant PR Agency in the U.S., and the fourth-largest PR Agency overall based in Texas. Entrepreneur magazine has ranked Champion among the leading Franchise Development agencies in the nation since 2019.
We Are the Champions.
Champion is a best-in-class, fully integrated marketing agency powered by a team of nearly 50 professionals who are experts in their respective fields and driven by a common purpose – to be an indispensable partner to our clients.
We recognize that every brand is unique, requiring thoughtfully crafted programs designed to achieve both short- and long-term goals. Our clients know they will never get a “one size fits all” approach from their Champion team.
“I’ve worked with dozens of national and local PR agencies over my 25-year career and Champion is hands-down best-in-class at what they do — so much so that I’ve hired them three times over the past decade as I have made career changes.”
We are known for being both stellar and scrappy, doing whatever it takes to get the job done. We use creative storytelling to break through the media clutter, increase brand awareness and drive brand affinity.
We deploy multi-layered digital marketing strategies to reach and engage highly qualified leads and ultimately expand our clients’ franchising networks.
We take a comprehensive, omni-channel approach to paid and organic social media, influencer ambassadorships and media outreach to drive incremental sales. We put our clients in the headlines for all the right reasons and redirect the media spotlight when crises occur.
Our team works side-by-side with some of the brightest and most creative executives in the hospitality industry, who can attest to how Champion is more than their agency – we serve as a valued extension of their team. Together, we build and execute strategic, customized plans designed to achieve identified goals, boost market share, foster brand loyalty and more – all while exceeding expectations every step of the way.
Let us show you why, for more than 20 years, our clients have said We Are the Champions.
We play to win
Ok, Ok…we may be a little competitive. Whether that means developing strategic brand campaigns, landing a national morning show or taking a start-up to stardom, we’re in it to win it. We’ve won all the top awards in our field, but we’re most proud of the long-term partnerships we’ve forged with our clients over the years.
Our Team
Ladd Biro
Ladd Biro
FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL
Hometown: Coral Gables, Fla.
Family: Sons Shane, Spencer and Preston; daughter Victoria; and Lily, the noble canine.
College(s)/Degree(s): Baylor University (BBA in Marketing & Management; president of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity); Harvard Business School (MBA)
Career Highlights: Cut my marketing teeth as Director of Worldwide Sales Promotion at American Airlines, where I negotiated deals with the World Cup, NFL, NBA, NCAA, U.S. Ski Team and America’s Cup. Served as Sr. VP of Marketing & Member Services at the National Association of Manufacturers, and president of The Manufacturing Institute, in Washington, DC. Won PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award for the NAM’s Centennial Year Celebration. Founded Champion in 2002 and am now proud to lead the best damn PR & Digital Media Agency in the land.
I love my job, but I’d rather be … marking off another item from my globetrotting bucket list.
Bet you didn’t know I … was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing in 2011 for my series of op-eds on the dangers of urban gas drilling; was named Fantasy Football Writer of the Year in 2010 and 2011 for my nationally syndicated newspaper column; hosted a national fantasy football show for three years on Sporting News Radio; co-own the Grapevine Wine Tours; negotiated American Airlines’ official partner contract for Oprah directly with Oprah herself; rewrote the in-flight scene in the original Home Alone; shared a sushi dinner with Hulk Hogan (like, he literally ate some of the sushi off my plate); went sailing with America’s Cup captain Dennis Conner; and hate name-droppers.
Eric Spiritas
Eric Spiritas
PRINCIPAL
Eric is an expert in small business growth and retail/consumer marketing. Over the last 15 years, Eric has taken struggling companies and turned them into strong, profitable businesses using his sales, marketing and customer service expertise. Eric is also a passionate fan of LSU football.
Courtney Mazzella
Courtney Mazzella
VP OF CLIENT SERVICES
Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas
Family: Boy Mom to my precious baby – Pearson Brooks, Dog mom to the cutest French Bulldog – Herman, and wife to Justin
College(s)/Degree(s): BA – University of North Texas
Career Highlights: Courtney brings more than 10 years of marketing and PR experience. She comes with a passion for getting entrenched with client brands. Courtney is the brainchild behind several “big splashes” at our agency.
She leads the agency’s proprietary Local Store Marketing efforts on behalf of several clients, helping create buzz, build awareness and generate goodwill at the local market level before, during and after grand openings. She is equally adept at media outreach, regularly scoring hits for our clients, brand management, and strategic planning.
Courtney joined the Champion team in, August 2011 as a Marketing Specialist. Over the years, she has earned several promotions and has become one of our most valuable players.
I love my job, but I’d rather be … sipping cocktails on the beach with my family!
Bet you didn’t know I … Tom Petty personally handed me his guitar pick and then I gave it to a stranger in a bar – FACE PALM!
Alexis Diehl
Alexis Diehl
VP OF STRATEGY
Hometown: Plano
Family: Proud mommy to Levi – 18 months
Colleges)/Degree(s): BA in Journalism from Cal State Long Beach
About Alexis: Over the course of her 15-year career, Alexis has developed a knack for uncovering brands’ big picture stories and developing results-driving strategies that maximize clients’ market awareness, affinity and ultimately, growth. She strives to serve her clients as a true partner – aligning program strategies and execution with their priority KPIs. She has worked with many household name food & beverage brands – both on the agency side and in-house – including McDonald’s, Nestle, California Avocados, Chuck E. Cheese’s and more. She believes the keys to success within any organization are the three E’s – Empowerment, Efficiency and Empathy – and treats both her team and clients in accordance with those values. She loves helping her team members grow, become lifelong learners and hone their skills in crafting compelling stories that elevate clients’ as true leaders and innovators in their industry.
Career highlight: Developed a guerilla marketing campaign that took the Big Apple by surprise in an undercover pizza truck for America’s favorite singing mouse (Chuck E. Cheese, of course). The video from the campaign went viral, garnering more than 1MM views across video and social media channels.
I love my job, but I’d rather be… playing with my perfect baby boy (or salsa dancing…)
Bet you didn’t know I… bought a tent and a one-way plane ticket when I was 19 to live on the beach in a Mexican surfing village – without knowing a single person there
Carrie Layne
Carrie Layne
VP OF DIGITAL MARKETING
Hometown: Plano, TX
College/Degree: BS in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin – Hook em!
About Carrie: Carrie Layne is a digital marketing expert with over 20 years of industry experience. She began her career during the dotcom boom in San Francisco at Saatchi & Saatchi in 1999, where she worked on emerging digital strategies for brands such as Amazon, Procter & Gamble, and Hewlett-Packard.
In 2008, Carrie started her own digital marketing agency to help businesses grow by leveraging omni-channel marketing strategies. She has worked with companies including Cadillac, Yo Quiero Brands, Cookies By Design, Mary Kay, and Coca-Cola.
Carrie is a serial entrepreneur, and she is passionate about technology and communication. She has been featured in Forbes and Huffington Post on topics about startup life and entrepreneurship. Layne is on the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” list, and her company was ranked as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in Dallas by the DBJ.
I love my job, but I’d rather be… at the rodeo, or traveling and exploring places with great food and wine!
Bet you didn’t know I… lived in the Cayman Islands for 7 years, and I once opened a NYC restaurant in 24 hours on a Food Network TV show!
We take our Core Values seriously
Passion with Purpose
Our passion and energy define us. Our professionalism guides us. We will never give cause for our integrity to be questioned. Mutual client and team respect is essential.
No Jerks or Junk
We do not discriminate on race, religion, sexuality or disability. We do, however, have a firm ‘no jerks allowed’ policy. We also won’t represent a client whose products or services we don’t believe in or that are detrimental to the good of society.
Stellar & Scrappy
We will be nimble. We will be quick. But above all else, we will strive for best-in-class quality in everything we do. Our ultimate goal is to become an indispensable partner to our clients.
One Champion
Individual wins are team wins. Individual losses are team losses. We are nothing without the talented individuals on our team, and we are committed to rewarding their outstanding performance, teamwork and loyalty.
Just Add Fun
We take our work very seriously, but not ourselves. If we can’t have fun while working, we’re not doing it right.
“Since 2012, Champion has been a strong partner to Raising Cane’s. Their team has helped introduce our brand to new markets and grow existing markets by promoting hundreds of new restaurant openings. Additionally, the team has played a key role in communicating our commitment to our communities. I especially like that if you give them an idea or assignment they go for it and make it happen!”
We Want To Hear From You
Like what you see? We’d love to hear from you. Please shoot us an email and we’ll get back to you pronto!