After obtaining his B.S., M.S, and MBA specializing in marketing, from LSU, Rob Powell held a marketing position in the hospitality division of The Walt Disney Company, Inc. Rob was soon recruited by a Minneapolis, Minnesota based start-up casino entertainment company, Grand Casinos, Inc. in a senior marketing leadership role where he was a part of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) team moving the company from venture capital to publicly traded company (NYSE: GND). According to Forbes, at the time, Grand Casinos, Inc. was the “Fastest Growing Company in North America”. After the sale of Grand, Rob went on to another Minnesota based start-up company, Rainforest Cafe, Inc. where he led the building of the brand and operations of 32 restaurants, nation-wide and his second IPO process. During his tenure at Rainforest Cafe, Inc. Rob was recognized by the Academy of Marketing Sciences as Marketer of the Year for his expertise in the field of marketing and contributions to the marketing field. After the sale of Rainforest Cafe, Inc. to Landry’s Restaurants, Rob spent a short time with the parent company for The Second City comedy troupe out of Toronto, Ontario Canada before launching his own management and marketing consulting firm. Earning casino, hospitality, entertainment and government clients, Rob wound up in Macau China, Panama Central America and most recently the Philippines as a Director for Cagayan Economic Zone Authority where, with the government, he helped develop ‘economic development zones’ creating jobs and building international commerce throughout the Pacific rim.

Rob moved back to Louisiana in 2012 to be with his ailing parents. While in Baton Rouge, he realized the economic opportunities and growth potential of the region and has begun to help companies grow through partnership and consulting arrangements.