BRX National

Hope Beckham: Bob Hope and Tom Hughes

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Robert E. (Bob) Hope is a 40-year veteran of the public relations and event marketing industry.  Bob’s extensive background includes a wide variety of experience.  He was the public relations director of the Atlanta Braves when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. When Ted Turner purchased the Braves, he became vice president of both the Braves and the Atlanta Hawks teams, while also handling Ted Turner’s personal publicity.

After 14 years with the Braves and Turner, Bob left the organization for a stint at The Coca-Cola Company, and later as executive vice president in the New York headquarters of global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. He left Burson-Marsteller after 10 years to become event division president of Whittle Communications.

In 1994, Bob co-founded Hope-Beckham with longtime friend Paul Beckham. 

Bob is active in the Atlanta community.  He is a trustee and on the executive committee of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.  He serves on the board of directors for the Atlanta Sports Council, is a trustee with the Women’s Sports Foundation and is vice president of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Georgia.  He is also on the advisory board for Baseball America and an annual team leader for Honduras Outreach Inc. 

Bob received a B.A. in journalism from Georgia State University.  He has written two books: “We Could Have Finished Last Without You” about his early years with the Braves and “Greater Late Than Never” about people who achieve success after 50.

Hughes came to Hope-Beckham in October 2007 from Atlanta Spirit LLC, parent company of the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena, where he was senior vice president of communications. There, he led all communication and press outreach, and oversaw the two teams’ radio talent and production from the company’s March 2004 inception. While he was there, Hughes also helped form a group of public relations representatives from the Atlanta sports teams and organizations for networking and media relationship-building purposes. The group currently has 35 members and meets quarterly.

Prior to the Spirit, Hughes was senior director of media relations for the Thrashers leading up to and beginning with the team’s 1999-2000 inaugural season. He joined the Thrashers while working as director of public relations for Turner Sports, Inc. 

Hughes is responsible for new business development as well as Public and Media Relations strategy and execution for Hope-Beckham clients. His current client list includes Belk Inc., the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola, the Atlanta Sports Council, and others. He also works with a local non-profit organization called L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise and Direct.)

Hughes is very active in the community.  He coaches youth basketball, sits on the board of directors for the First Tee of Atlanta, the Brookhaven Rotary club, and is on a Friends Committee for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Georgia.

BRX National

Leverage your Invested Network: Michael Esposito. Patouillet Consulting LLC: Dr. Lee Patouillet. Barnes & Thornburg: Stuart C. Johnson

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 Michael Esposito

Michael Esposito is a native of East Rockaway, New York, having moved to Marietta, Georgia, from Coral Springs, Florida, with his wife Ann (a Registered Yoga Teacher) and two teenage children.  He moved to Georgia to join The Home Depot’s Northern Division as its Director of Associate Relations in 2005.

Mike’s career started in Human Resources and then migrated to law after he earned his Juris Doctorate degree nights from The Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey.  He worked in private legal practice and in-house as a labor and employment attorney before serving as the Chief HR Officer for two multi-billion dollar organizations.  Michael’s current job allows him to integrate his legal and HR experience to help promote employee engagement to drive customer service for a division generating over $25B in sales and boasting of 800 stores and 100,000 associates.

Mike currently serves on the Alumni Board of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Dr. Lee Patouillet

Dr. Lee Patouillet, president of the firm, brings more than 30 years of full-time institutional advancement experience in higher education and nonprofit management to his consulting practice. Patouillet has led three different alumni associations:  the University of South Florida, the University of Pittsburgh and most recently the University of Florida. At all of these institutions, he served on the senior leadership team responsible for all aspects of advancement including two different capital campaigns in excess of one billion dollars each. He is a faculty member at Nonprofit University and a consultant for the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.

Patouillet began consulting in the 1980’s and contracts with other professionals as needed for given projects. The firm works with public and private colleges and universities of all sizes as well as the social sector. Patouillet Consulting LLC enjoys the involvement and support of an advisory board comprised of industry leaders.

Lee earned a B.A. in American Studies with Honors from the University of South Florida, a M.S. in College Student Personnel from the University of Tennessee and a Ph.D. in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

He is a charter member of the Council of Alumni Association Executives (CAAE) and is a long-time active volunteer leader for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He is also a charter member of the editorial board for The International Journal of Educational Advancement. The associations led by Patouillet have received more than 10 CASE Circle of Excellence awards.

Stuart C. Johnson

Stuart C. Johnson is the managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Atlanta office, a member of the firm’s Management Committee, the chairman of the firm’s Private Equity Practice Group, and a member of the firm’s Corporate Department. He is a corporate and transactional lawyer, and has assisted clients with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate financing transactions, and general business matters in a variety of industries such as telecommunications, manufacturing, plastics, home building, business services, chemicals, logistics, food services, life sciences medical devices, and healthcare.

Stuart has authored and been quoted in numerous articles relating to mergers and acquisition trends and activities, particularly those related to growth-oriented businesses and private equity transactions. He has organized and participated in business growth and business expansion programs sponsored by institutions such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, the Georgia Society of CPAs, the Atlanta Business School Alliance, the Technology Association of Georgia, Lorman Educational Services, and the Academy of Management.

 Stuart Johnson is also actively involved in community activities and organizations. He is a member of Junior Achievement of Georgia, Inc.’s board of directors and is chairman of its finance committee. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, where he presently serves as Vice President of Finance. He is also a member of the advisory Board of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Board of Governors of the City Club of Buckhead.

 Stuart received his B.A. with distinction in 1982 from the University of Virginia and his M.A. of Economics in 1986 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1987, he earned his J.D. from the University Of Virginia School of Law, where he was named to the Order of the Coif. He is admitted to practice law in the state of Georgia.