NAME | J. Darien Southerland (pronounced Darren) | |
AKA | The BG Guy | |
TITLE | CEO | |
BORN | With a Golden Horseshoe in Smyrna, GA | |
LOVES | His family, his faith and his hard-working staff, and baseball | |
BEST KNOWN FOR | His contagious enthusiasm for life and fierce negotiating skills | |
WACKY FACT | Darien’s name was misspelled at birth and he personally met with | |
Joe Biden and Donald Trump (talk about being in the middle) |
Darien Southerland’s energy is plumb contagious. He does everything like his hair’s on fire and delivers BG results for BG AD Group clients ALL. THE. TIME. He has the uncanny ability to match brands with audiences perfectly, and knocks it out of the park when it comes to putting together targeted events that generate growth. Make no mistake: Darien is a fierce negotiator, award-winning sales leader and expert trainer. Darien likes to say he is abnormal in a positive way, and it works to his advantage. He’s just lucky enough to have normal staff around him to keep it real. Darien is an expert in automotive marketing, and shares his passion and instant drive with all clients he represents. Darien has mastered the art of bringing qualified folks on-site with traffic-driven marketing that helps BG AD Group automotive, education, event and all other clients succeed.
In regards to life outside of the office, Darien takes community involvement seriously. He has served as the Head Middle School Football Coach for Whitefield Academy in Mableton, Georgia as well as the former choir director at his church. Additionally, Darien serves as a Chamber of Commerce member for Cobb County, Douglas County, Hall County as well as Nashville’s Chamber of Commerce. He even serves as the Assistant Director of New Members Class at Marietta First United Methodist Church. He enjoys all types of music, is an excellent singer, and a hard core American Picker (if you have to ask, you don’t know, so talk to Darien). What does this man not do? Darien’s wife Mary has been an educator in Gwinnet/Cobb County for the past seventeen years. They have two children, Jacob (Lenoir-Rhyne University Class of 2017) and Kendall (Georgia College and State University Class of 2018), who not only dedicate their time to academics, but also community involvement.
NAME | Sandra Hamrich | |
AKA | Sandra | |
TITLE | Office Manager | |
BORN | To be the glue that holds BG AD together, in Sewickley, PA | |
LOVES | Animals and Roller Coasters | |
BEST KNOWN FOR | Her willingness to lend a helping hand | |
WACKY FACT | Sandy was a dance instructor for 6 years |
Sandy Hamrich is the glue that binds us. She first came to BG AD as a part-timer in February of 2013 after retiring with 36 years from the Department of Defense. Her experience includes super cool stuff like working with Ret. General Colin Powell, being an Air Force Emergency Management Adviser alongside FEMA during Disaster Relief Operations throughout the US, and other less glamorous (but nonetheless important) tasks like Office Manager, Budget Officer and Program Analyst. After working in Darien’s garage for a while, Sandy realized Darien needed a swift kick in the pants and that’s when things really started happening at BG AD Group. Sandy is a proven leader, manager, advisor, planner and operator at all levels who is known for her innovations and practical management style. She is a highly motivated professional dedicated to customer service and satisfaction and she’ll take anyone to task, so best mind your manners around Sandy.
In Sandy’s past life, she was a Girl Scout and Girl Scout Leader for over 2 decades, first for her daughter and then her granddaughter. She loves sports and played softball and volleyball for many years; her favorite sport is soccer. Sandy has two children: her daughter Jennifer lives in Birmingham, AL and they have two children, Autumn and Evan. Her son EJ is married to Jessica and they live in Denver, CO. Thank goodness Sandy loves to travel.
NAME | Timothy Newton | |
AKA | Jack-of-All-Trades | |
TITLE | Operation Manager/Event Coordinator | |
BORN | To make friends in Marietta, GA | |
LOVES | Golf, Family and the Braves | |
BEST KNOWN FOR | Never meeting a stranger | |
WACKY FACT | Tim served for 25 years as a Choir Director (bless his heart) |
NAME | Nick Paparelli | |
AKA | Pappy | |
TITLE | Lead Event Coordinator | |
BORN | To have fun in Marietta, GA | |
LOVES | The Atlanta Braves, University of Alabama, Friends, and Family | |
BEST KNOWN FOR | His laugh | |
WACKY FACT | Nick DOMINATES Darien in the American football | |
video game Madden |