About Mandarich Media Group

Mandarich applies lessons he learned in NFL to Internet venture

Phoenix Business Journal – Dec 11th 2009 – by Patrick O’Grady

Tony Mandarich remains a competitor, even though he no longer plays football. Mandarich, who spent six years in the National Football League, still looks like he could strap on the Indianapolis Colts helmet that sits in his office and play a few downs, even at age 43.

But the helmet is not the dominant feature of his office in the Kierland Corporate Center. Those are the computers he uses for what has become his work as the head of Scottsdale-based Internet marketing company Mandarich Media Group, LLC.

The competitive spirit that took him to the NFL still is evident, but now he’s using it to help small businesses get their Web sites noticed by search engines.

“I don’t know why you’d be in business if you weren’t striving for that,” he said.

The business was born out of the photography company he and his wife, Char, established about five years ago. Mandarich said he got into Web design to further that company’s ambitions. When photography clients started asking about their Web sites, it developed a new aspect of the couple’s business.

The Oakville, Ontario, native took a circuitous route to running an Internet marketing firm, first passing through East Lansing, Mich., and Michigan State University, where he majored in communications and became one of the NFL’s most sought-after college players.

He was drafted second in 1989 as a potential franchise tackle by the Green Bay Packers. He’d been labeled a surefire pick by top NFL pundits, and Sports Illustrated named him the best offensive line prospect of all time.

But the success he enjoyed in college eluded him at the pro level. He had three disastrous years in Green Bay, which Mandarich blames on the alcohol and prescription drug addictions that grew as he tried to wean himself off the steroids that had fueled his college workouts.

He was cut by the Packers in 1992, but came back in 1996 with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played for three years. He detailed most of his struggles in a book released earlier this year.

Mandarich said his experience in the NFL has an impact on everything he does.

“You can use it as a vice or a virtue as to what you learn in the NFL,” he said.

Mandarich focuses more on the virtues at his marketing firm, where he preaches discipline and attention to detail. Be there for clients, he tells them — and, whatever you do, don’t be late for meetings.

“In the NFL, they would fine you $100 for every minute you were late for a meeting,” he said with a smile. “I can’t do that here.”

The company, which has between six and 10 employees depending on the work load, has 75 to 125 clients at any given time. Mandarich estimates the company has done between $250,000 and $500,000 in revenue each year, with growth every year.

The field has been one of continued growth as more companies look for a strong presence on the Internet. Search-engine optimization and social media are two drivers as companies seek a foothold, said Sinan Kanatsiz, founder and chairman of the San Clemente, Calif.-based Internet Marketing Association.

Nelson Grist, president and CEO of For the Earth Corp. in Phoenix, has used Mandarich’s services for a year.
“One of the keys for us, besides the fact that he seems to work 24 hours a day, was that he was able to put it in the simplest terms,” he said.

Mandarich said his clients may ask if he ever played football, but in the end it’s not that important to what he’s doing.

“They’re thinking, ‘I really don’t care if you played in the NFL. I’m looking at you for search optimization,’” he said.