Agency brings in sponsors, dollars to NASCAR

Jon Flack is probably one of the most important people in racing you have never heard about.

Flack, president and COO of Just Marketing International, is a rainmaker for motorsports, beating the corporate bushes for horsepower dollars that fuel professional racing.

Former race car driver Zak Brown founded JMI and continues as CEO. When Flack was hired in 2002, the agency had seven employees. Today the company has offices in Indianapolis and London and employs more than 150.

"It's been a real nice ride for us," Flack said.

JMI has delivered several top brands to NASCAR including Subway, Farmers Insurance, DIRECTV, UPS, Crown Royal, Worx and others.

The numbers are staggering.

"We negotiate about $300 million in rights fees for our clients annually," Flack said.

JMI has evolved with the ever-changing market and navigated through the recent economic downturn.

"When I started at JMI, NASCAR was blossoming; it was a new, shiny pet," Flack said. "There were a lot of new brands coming in, then there was the broadcast deal (2001) that took the sport mainstream."

JMI isn't the only agency working in motorsports, but it's the only agency that works only in racing. More at news-journalonline.com