Mark Mayfield Interview With Mayfield Sports Intern James Kocen
Background Info
Mark Mayfield grew up in north central Indiana as an only child. As a kid he was always around sports. He played everything including football, tennis, basketball, baseball, golf and he ran track.
After high school, Mark attended Indiana University where he majored in psychology and minored in both criminal justice and sociology.
Today Mark is married to his wife of almost 13 years Kara who he met while he was visiting friends after college, and dated long distance initially. They have two kids, Alec and Emily who are 9 and 6 respectively.
Work Before Mayfield Sports
Prior to starting his own sport marketing firm Mark worked doing social work and helping kids from Indiana and Wisconsin right after college. He then worked at a Wisconsin resort where he was the director of sales and marketing for several years.
Mayfield Sports Marketing Start Up
The story of how Mark began doing sport marketing starts around 2005. The resort he worked for had a partnership with the Milwaukee Mile where Gilbert Brown is a part owner. Gilbert stayed at the hotel where Mark worked and the two had breakfast together for a few days. Mark having a marketing background mentioned to Gilbert that if he ever needed assistance with anything that Mark would be glad to help. As it turns out Gilbert needed a website created. The morning after Gilbert had checked out, Mark had a letter in his mailbox which read “Mayfield” and had money from Gilbert to create the website. Mark did his first autograph session and charity event with Gilbert. Eventually Mark got a call from a client who wanted Gilbert, but since Gilbert was unavailable Mark asked Gilbert if he knew if any of the other guys would be interested and that’s when he met LeRoy Butler. That’s when he started meeting and working with guys like Santana Dotson, William Henderson, and current players. Keep in mind this whole time Mark did sport marketing as a part time job at night and on weekends on top of having his fulltime job and family commitments.
In December of 2011 Mark’s father was sick and passed away. Mark’s dad was very influential to him and told him to chase his dreams, so Mark decided to make 2012 “his year”. In September of 2012 he launched his business and got 5 inquiries on the first day. The next day he resigned from his job at the resort after 11 years. It is also important to note that up until this point it had been called M3 marketing (Mark M. Mayfield). His grandfather had always told him that if you are proud of something you put your name on it, so he changed it to the current name of Mayfield Sports.
Mark’s first season was 2012, and he met DuJuan Harris in the beginning of 2013. Through him he got introduced to other players and really started to grow. Mark has also met lots of people from around Wisconsin to partner with which have also helped him grow and expand his operation.
Important Business Information To Know About Mark
When asked about his favorite parts of his job, Mark said that it’s a great job. He gets to work with professional athletes and help out charities. He also said that he has been humbled to learn the different parts of the Green Bay organization inside out and just to meet sports figures in general, although he still puts business first and being a fan second.
As a pretty optimistic person Mark didn’t have any least favorite parts about his job, but did mention that he’s had to adjust to lots of traveling, tough hours, and being away from family at certain times.
Mark was also asked about some of the qualities he has that have helped him get to where his is today. Stating that people are the most important part of every business, Mark works hard to have good communication skills and to provide excellent customer service which entails being fair and building relationships and most of all having fun while doing so. He also learned from one of his mentors that you aren’t great at everything and that it is important to surround yourself with people who have different expertise's than yourself and to trust them to do what they do best. This is a lesson that Mark has also passed down.
Some of the things he said that set him apart are that he takes a lot of pride in matching the customer with the best athlete for their budget and event; just because a customer is willing to pay him for a certain player who might not be the best fit for their event, doesn’t mean he will solidify the deal. He said he puts himself in the person’s shoes and works with their budget to again pick the right player for their event. He wants the customer to walk away happy and to do his part to help make the event “awesome”. Mark also makes a big effort to respond to inquires and will call back within 24 hours every time. He wants to always be service oriented.
Fun Information
As a kid Mark’s favorite teams were Michigan, the Yankees, the Knicks, and the Bears. Today he is still a huge fan of Michigan and even has a tattoo! Mark is also a Packers fan now because of the history, family, and tradition of the organization and of course he works with a lot of current and former Packers.
His favorite athletes of all time include: Emmitt Smith, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, The Fab Five, Charles Woodson, Jeff Gordon, and Andre Agassi.
Some of the players he has worked with the most are Gilbert Brown, William Henderson, Santana Dotson, John Kuhn, DuJuan Harris, Don Barclay, Jarrett Boykin, and Ahman Green, but has worked with over 50 different athletes over the past 2 years and wants people to know that they aren’t just Packers.
Through his job Mark has met many famous people and said that the biggest “wow I just met him” moment he’s had came when he met Bart Starr at a golf outing 7 years ago.
In the free time that he has he spends a lot of time with his family especially traveling with them and playing sports with his kids. Mark is also an entrepreneur and is close to launching a second business called Honor Canvas.
Lastly if Mark Mayfield had to describe himself with 3 words, they would be energetic, loyal, and family.
Mayfield Sports Marketing
Mayfield Sports Marketing. Mayfield Sports Marketing is a sports marketing firm and booking agency. We offer Green Bay Packers appearances off the field. Also, players from the Milwaukee Brewers and other professional athletes for autograph sessions, golf outings, and football camps, as well as other paid appearances or endorsement deals. Contact us today for more information at 262.366.8188 or please complete the booking form. Proud to work with numerous professional athletes from your favorite team. Book a player for your next event. Ask about players such as: Eddie Lacy, AJ Hawk, Jarrett Boykin, Mike Daniels, DuJuan Harris, Gilbert Brown, William Henderson and more. Visit our clients page for a more extensive list.
Schedule an appearance with one of our clients and experience the Mayfield Sports Marketing difference. Visit www.MayfieldSports.com/clients today
Appearances by Green Bay Packers Current and Retired Players
Mayfield Sports Marketing athletes (Green Bay Packers Current and Retired Players) are committed to each event they attend and raising . Throughout 2013-2014, Mayfield Sports Marketing athletes and celebrities had the opportunity to make numerous appearances. Appearances included nonprofit fundraisers, school visits, motivational speaking engagements and many other events and programs.
In Wisconsin, our Green Bay players along with Green Bay Coaches and Executives have become some of the most sought out keynote speakers as their experiences mixed with passion come to life on stage, according to Mayfield Sports Marketing. Green Bay Players such as: John Kuhn, William Henderson, Ahman Green, Gilbert Brown, Willie Davis and Green Bay Packer President Mark Murphy have become some of the top motivational speakers for appearances. Mayfield Sports Marketing is a marketing firm and booking agency that assists corporations, non profit organizations and third parties in finding the right player for their event. They offer a wide range of Green Bay Football Players for book signings, corporate appearances, fundraisers, universities, private events, speaking engagements, VIP Meet and Greets and product endorsements. Let them help you book the perfect Green Bay Football Player for your next event. Many corporations, associations and non-profit groups have recognized the popularity of the sport and have requested these athletes for football player appearances as well as for football speaking engagements. Youth Football Camps, a non-profit walk, exclusive VIP Events featuring NFL players, and autograph appearances are some of the opportunities that Green Bay icons such as: Gilbert Brown, Dorsey Levens and Santana Dotson have been booked. With a call to 1.262.366.8188, organizations can book a variety of current and Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Players such as: Jarrett Boykin, John Kuhn, Eddie Lacy, AJ Hawk, Marv Fleming and more. Working with Mayfield Sports Marketing has made booking NFL players an opportunity instead of a laborious task. As many customers have not booked a player appearance before contacting Mayfield Sports Marketing, they offer a short checklist to booking a player appearance: 1. What will be requested of the player while attending your event: Keynote Speaking Engagement, meet/greet session, autograph session, teach football techniques, attend your holiday party, motivate your employees, golf in your golf outing etc.? 2. Selecting the right player is key to maximizing the exposure of your event, be selective. 3. What are the goals for your event? How will the player appearance assist your event and its success? 4. What is your marketing plan for your event? 5. What is your budget to hire Mayfield Sports and the player you have chosen to attend your event? Mayfield Sports Marketing works with other professional athletes and high ranking military officials. Mayfield Sports also sells today’s top Wisconsin athletes’ autographed merchandise.
