What does it take to become a Champion?

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

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

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

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

VP OF DIGITAL MARKETING

Hometown: Plano, TX

Family: Dog mom to two Labs, Hank and Riley, and I also have cattle and chickens! Wife to Phil, and we have 4 daughters and 5 grandkids.

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!