Millsport LLC
Founded in 1975 by James R. Millman, a 25-year-old event marketing executive with Philip Morris, Inc., Millsport is one of the oldest sports marketing and sponsorship agencies in the U.S. Millsport gained notoriety and national prominence with its involvement in Olympic sponsorship in the nineties.[1]
Millman, an Ohio University grad who began his career in 1968 as a production assistant with ABC Sports, served as the agency’s chairman and CEO until 2004.
In 1981, Millsport joined advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (now DDB), one of the largest ad agencies in the U.S. Six years later, Millsport left Doyle Dane Bernbach to once again become an independent agency.
In 1996, Millsport and Omnicom's Diversified Agency Services division formed a new sports marketing partnership. It marked Omnicom's first venture into sports marketing.
Millsportcelebrated its 25th anniversary in 2000, the same year that Omnicom increased its stake in the agency from 25 percent to 60 percent. That same year, Bob Basche, a former executive for NBC Sports, was promoted from president to vice chairman and managing partner.
In 2001, Millsport opened an office in Charlotte, N.C., dedicated to its motorsports practice. The following year, Basche was promoted to CEO, replacing founder Jim Millman, who remained as chairman.
Millsport became the sports sponsorship and motorsports consulting and activation division of fellow Omnicom agency The Marketing Arm in 2004, a move that triggered several personnel moves within the agency. Howard Jacobs was promoted from senior VP/marketing and business development to president of Millsport. Basche moved to chairman of Millsport and chief relationship officer for The Marketing Arm, while Millsport founder Jim Millman ended his association with the company to launch an agency called Partnership Marketing Connection (PMC).
In 2006, Dan Belmont joined Millsport as president, replacing Howard Jacobs, who left to join Millsport client XM Satellite Radio as SVP of strategic partnership marketing.