Robert L. McNeil
President & Chief Executive Officer

What got you into this business in the first place?
I was in college at Georgia Tech where I had created several African American and Hispanic recruiting programs. In my third year, President John Patrick “Pat” Crecine handed me a list of the top 20 GA Tech corporate donors. He told me the programs were servicing over 1,000 students so I needed to start raising money to pay for them. I began to venture out into corporate America to make meaningful connections; ultimately helping the institution graduate more Black and Hispanic engineers than any other school in the country.
Who was a big influence in your career?
My grandfather founded the first African American bank in the Southeast, and my dad was the first Black registered licensed physical therapist in the state of Georgia. I guess you could say the shoes were already very “big."
What is your one moment that you are most proud of?
Organizing a peaceful civil rights demonstration in high school to convince our administration that we should obey the law and observe Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as a national holiday (with a little help from the media of course).
Do you have a method for coming up with ideas and solutions for clients?
I tend to wake up in the middle of the night and write down a big idea. The real challenge is reading my handwriting the next morning.
What makes a great brand?
A consistently exceptional purchase experience at a value driven price.
What do you do for a good time...when you're not working?
Snow, ski, or scuba dive.
What are your favorite websites? CNN, AOL, Black Voices.