Speed Marriott - Managing Partner

Speed began his career in broadcasting 33 years ago as a copywriter. He quickly discovered that copywriters drove cars from the previous decade, while account executives drove cars from the current decade. Based on this revelation, the move was made to sales and he has never looked back. In 1981, Speed joined the sales department of Shamrock Broadcasting (Disney) and began what was to be a 13-year relationship. During this time Speed rose through the ranks from Account Executive, Local Sales Manager to General Sales Manager for KUDL-FM and WHB-AM Kansas City. In addition, Speed served as GSM for Shamrock's Pittsburgh and Denver operations.  According to Speed, "the Shamrock experience was invaluable in my development as a manager. The company philosophy put an emphasis on both personal and professional growth, allowing me the opportunity to learn from the best and the brightest in the business."

Other experiences include GSM for South Central Communications' WIMZ-FM and WJXB-FM Knoxville. It was here that Speed first met then LSM, Mike LoConte. The team of Marriott and LoConte went on to break a series of monthly and annual billing records for the Knoxville properties.

After six years on the road in radio, Speed returned to his hometown Kansas City and assumed responsibility as Director of Sales for Entercom's seven-station cluster. By year two of his tenure as DOS, both revenue and market shares doubled. While at Entercom, Speed was a three-year customer of Advantage Systems. Because of his belief in the program, he joined the Advantage Systems team in August of 2000, producing just under 3 million dollars in new revenue in his first year. Speed has been a part of the Advantage team for over a decade. In that time he has implemented more than 125 Advantage projects from Anchorage, Alaska to Lima, Peru,  generating millions of dollars in new and direct revenue for his clients.

Speed earned a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications from Central Missouri State University. Professionally he has earned both CRMC and CRSM designations and has completed a variety of training programs including CSS, Disney's Service Magic, War College and the NAB Executive Management course at Georgetown University. He served from 1997-2001 on the Radio Advertising Bureau's MLC planning committee and NAB Radio Show planning committee from 1997-1998. He also earned a variety of local and national recognition including a nomination for Radio and Records Large Market Manager in 1997.