Maintaining focus on the community

From the May 22, 2006 issue of the Richmond Times Dispatch

The sports-marketing firm's founders want Avail to have a positive impace on people.

By Joan Tuppance, special correspondent

When he was young, Johnathan Mayo envisioned a career designing automobiles.

Today Mayo designs, but cars aren't his focus. Mayo and his partner, Lester Johnson, own Avail, a marketing and management firm that designs and provides services for corporations, professional athletes and nonprofit organizations.

Mayo knew that one day he would own a company. When he was 10, he ran his own lawn business, cutting grass for his neighbors.

"I always had that entrepreneurial spirit," he said.

Mayo also had a talent for math and a penchant for sports. In high school, he spent his summers attending engineering programs at various colleges.

"I decided I wanted to be an automotive engineer," he said.

At the same time, the Henrico County native was excelling at football at Henrico High School as a linebacker. He made the All-Metro Team and was offered a football scholarship to Virginia Military Institute, where he studied mechanical engineering.

Mayo and Johnson became friends during high school and continued that friendship at VMI, where they were roommates.

After graduation, Mayo joined Ethyl Corp. in the company's research lab. he moved to Verizon, where he eventually designed wide-area networks for major corporations. Mayo was working at Ethyl in 1997 when he and Johnson decided to form a business.

"We came up with the idea of starting a fundraising business," Mayo said, noting that they chose Avail as the name after reading its meaning: "To be of use, or value to."

We wanted our business to have a positive impact on the community."

The two VMI grads established Avail as a part-time venture, kicking it off with their first event: Youth Football Day.

"It was a fund-raiser to help youth organizations raise money," Mayo said. Mayo secured corporate sponsors to underwrite the event, making sure all of the money raised would go directly to the organization. The even was held annually for seven years.

Avail began working with the Gold Bowl Classic in 2002 -- the event was originally formed to support education and provide financial and scholarship support to Virginia Union University.

Brenda Foster, executive director for Richmond Gold Bowl Sponsors Inc., remembers when she first met Mayo.

"I decided to hire him on a trial basis to market the event and solicit sponsors before I presented his entire proposal to the board," she said. "It was the beginning of a good relationship. Now, he does the marketing, and we co-sponsor some events together for the Gold Bowl."

Mayo also help professional athletes develop, market and manage their foundations and non-profit organizations. The company has been working with Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons and his basketball camp at the Ashe Center since 2002. Wallace played college ball at Virginia Union.

"We helped put the camp together, created the brochures and the advertising," Mayo explained. "We did the event planning, management and marketing."

In 2003 Mayo decided to leave Verizon, devoting all of his time to Avail.

"Lester and I knew that eventually one of us had to go out to take the business to the next level," Mayo said. "I was more involved with the marketing aspect of the business, and it made sense for me to go full time."

Avail works with the Moriah McNeil Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic, which will be held at the Hunting Hawk Golf Club in July. The tournament honors the daughter of Emanuel McNeil, a former NFL player, coach and administrator at Highland Springs High School. Mayo worked with McNeil in the initial stages of the tournament.

Moriah, who ws diagnoses with an aggressive form of cancer, died in 2004 before the first tournament was developed.

"Johnathan has been very helpful with the tournament," McNeil said. "He's passionate about what he does. He's met my family and he knows it's all about helping families. he has donated a lot of time and fees for the event. He's out for the cause."

Mayo is hands-on, McNeil added. "He gets the work done."

McNeil has been approached by other companies that have offered to change the tournament. But McNeil passes over their requests.

"I am loyal to people who are loyal to me," he said. "I like what Johnathan stands for. I'm pleased with what he is doing for me."

Marlon McCree, a safety for the San Diego Chargers, feels the same way about Mayo and his company. Mayo is helping McCree with a three-day celebrity weekend and fund-raiser in Orlando, Fla., to benefit McCree's "Help a Child Save a Dream Foundation." The event includes a celebrity gold tournament.

"Johnathan has been doing a phenomenal job with marketing and promotions for the event," McCree said. "He's been doing everything from A to Z with my foundation."

Mayo is currently working on the 2007 National Greek Week Challenge, which he hopes to hold at Disney World's Wide World of Sports complex.

"We are selecting 50 schools from across the country," Mayo said. "They will be able to send winners of their school's Greek Week to the event to participate in the games. The winning teams will receive prizes. The money will go to the school, charity or the fraternity or sorority."

In his spare time, Mayo volunteers with Team Up Richmond, an athletic and academic after-school program primarily in Richmond middle schools.

Mayo delights in his work, even though he's not living out his childhood dream of designing cars. "I enjoy the work and seeing the impact that it has," he said. "It's important to give back."