Entrepreneur
Marketer
Thought Leader
Advisor
Board Member
Investor
Entrepreneur
Marketer
Thought Leader
Advisor
Board Member
Investor
David Chapman is a dynamic and trusted CEO, advisor, and board member with a proven track record of driving profitable growth for both emerging and blue-chip national brands.
With over three decades of senior-level sales and marketing expertise, David has partnered with more than 200 national brands, including industry leaders American Family Care, Caterpillar, Great Clips, Hanes, Lowes Home Improvement, Pearl Vision, Proctor & Gamble, The Rosetta Stone, Unilever Brands and Zaxby’s.
Before founding 919 Marketing, David held key executive leadership roles, including CEO and EVP of Marketing for venture-backed companies, as well as Global Account Director for the world’s largest advertising agency network.
As the visionary founder of 919 Marketing, David built a $28 million PE-backed digital marketing powerhouse. Under his leadership, the company grew to over 120 employees, earned a place on the INC 5000 list five times, and was recognized as one of the top 100 PR firms by Forbes and Newsweek.
Now serving as 919 Marketing’s Board Chairman, David provides strategic leadership and deep institutional knowledge to enhance company performance.
A recognized national thought leader, David has been featured in major media outlets and is a contributing writer for both INC and Forbes. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where he shares insights on sales, marketing, and brand growth.
Through his work with national franchise brands and governmental nonprofits, David has played a key role in helping hundreds of people start and grow successful small businesses. Additionally, he has supported thousands of North Carolina families in planning, applying for, and paying for college, while also working to reduce underage drinking.
Successful Entrepreneur
David has a proven ability to grow and sell companies. He started down the entrepreneurial path at an early age, selling tie-dyed t-shirts as a teenager. In college, he launched a successful house painting business. In his early 20’s, Chapman started and later sold his first marketing services agency. During the dot.com era, he started a VC-backed online professional services firm. He formed 919 Marketing two decades ago and grew it from his bonus room into a $28MM PE-backed national marketing firm. And he’s not done yet.
Marketing Fanatic
As a kid, David fell in love with marketing through ad jingles and his favorite TV favorite show “Bewitched” that showcased the life of an advertising executive. Therefore, it’s no surprise that he worked as an account leader at the Interpublic Group, the largest global advertising agency network. While there, David worked on some of the largest, well-known brands in the world including Hanes, Champion Sports Apparel and a roster of Nabisco Brands. He later served as EVP Marketing for a national training company before creating his own marketing agency.
As the CEO of 919 Marketing, David worked closely with the sales and marketing teams of high-profile brands including Caterpillar, Great Clips, Lowes Home Improvement, Proctor & Gamble, The Rosetta Stone, Unilever Brands and Zaxby’s.
What’s the overarching marketing lesson David learned after three decades of working with hundreds of brands? Companies of all sizes face the same endless challenge — ensuring that their brands are increasing consumer demand and converting marketing into revenue creation.
Business Thought Leader
David has always loved playing the contrarian role. As a marketer, David developed a well-earned reputation for creating provocative, edgy marketing campaigns – PR campaigns, digital and print advertising, social media, direct response, websites, sales materials and more.
With three decades of experience as a marketer, founder, CEO, investor, and board member, David enjoys sharing lessons learned and insights with others on their own journey. David is regularly interviewed by national business publications and contributes feature articles to both INC and Forbes. The disruption of traditional media outlets has created a unique opportunity for business thought leaders like David to publish thoughtful, provocative content on important business topics. As a result, David has created a roster of articles on franchising, private equity, business relationships and various other business topics. Check out some of his recent articles.
Articles
Strategic Advisor and Board Member
As the board chair of 919 Marketing, Chapman works closely with the executive team to set measurable KPIs, implement a highly differentiated business strategy, and secure strategic partnerships. He also led the acquisition of four complementary digital marketing and data analytics companies.
Marketing plays a critical role in generating profitable sales growth for portfolio companies, yet remains an underrepresented skill set on most boards. David is exploring consulting relationships with select Private Equity firms and Family Offices seeking to accelerate deal flow and maximize portfolio company performance. He adds value by identifying, evaluating and conducting due diligence on potential investments, as well as serving in advisory and board roles to help optimize portfolio companies.
Chapman is also interested in working with high-growth brands looking for CEO level sales and marketing advisory services / board membership to scale the business and maximize valuations.
Investor in "Baby Businesses"
David has a proven track record of starting and growing successful companies. If your company has stalled and you are looking for new strategies to scale the business, it may be time to take on an investment partner with the experience and fresh perspective needed to accelerate future growth and business valuation.
However, there is a clear distinction between investing in a small business and a “baby” business, as Newt Gingrich famously said. A small business is self-explanatory. A baby business is a small business concept that will grow into a larger, scalable, profitable brand given the right combination of talents and resources.
David is interested in evaluating and investing in companies in high growth, underdeveloped market segments with a strong management team, a healthy client base with recurring revenue, and great products and services
Where David Can Add Value
- Advisory and Board Services to Private Equity Firms and Family Offices
- CEO level sales and marketing advisory services
- Accelerate deal flow and maximize portfolio performance
- Identify, evaluate, conduct due diligence and advise on potential acquisition candidates
- Provide sales and marketing advisory services and board membership to portfolio companies
- Advisory and Board Services to Emerging and Enterprise Level Brands
- CEO level sales and marketing advisory services
- Evaluate marketing services and technology stack partners
- Board Membership to scale the business and maximize valuations
- Post transaction advisory services -coordinate the integration of add-on acquisitions, revise monitor and implement growth plans
- Advisory Services to Investment Banks
- CEO level sales and marketing advisory services
- Advise client companies in preparing for investor outreach, including recruitment materials
- Coach, assist client team members with buyer meetings, developing growth plans
- Post transaction advisory services -coordinate the integration of add-on acquisitions, revise monitor and implement growth plans
- Business Media Outlets:
- Fully leverage my connections and experiences as a CEO and sales and marketing executive:
- Franchising and multi-location businesses
- C-Suite business management
- Retail healthcare
- Home services
- Restaurants
- Marketing agency services
- Business Investor
- Fully leverage my CEO and sales and marketing skills
- Company audits – operational, human capital, financial, competition, customers, sales and marketing SWOT, etc.
- Majority stake investment in companies operating in underdeveloped vertical markets (e.g. home services)
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