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When Al Speyer retired earlier this year after 38 years as executive director of motorsports at Bridgestone, Lisa Boggs was named to take his place, a task she described as “an honor, exciting and quite daunting.”
Speyer’s retirement left large shoes to fill, but Boggs believes her extensive background in motorsports marketing and public relations has equipped her with the necessary skills to continue a strong tradition. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with some great people, companies and clients that have helped build the foundation,” she said. “It’s like I’ve been in training for something like this.”
Prior to Bridgestone, Boggs was vice president at Matter Inc., Edelman’s sports and entertainment practice, where her list of clients included NASCAR, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Izod IndyCar Series. In 2011, she headed Izod’s public relations campaign to generate non-endemic media interest for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.
With Bridgestone being the supplier of Firestone tires for the IndyCar Series, Boggs enjoys the diversity of her role, often leaving her Nashville office for one of the tracks where the IndyCar Series competes or for other, related sites. “One minute, I’m [in Nashville] wearing my integrated marketing and communications hat, and the next I’m speaking with our fantastic engineering group in Akron, Ohio, about tires for an upcoming event,” she said.
— Anna Hrushka
“Lisa is an incredibly passionate individual and she brings that focus and tireless pursuit of excellence to her work. I was instantly impressed with her level of expertise, knowledge and relationships within the motorsports industry, and how she applied that toward a really smart strategy for clients. My first time walking the track with her took forever because she knew everyone from driver to owner to sponsors to pit crew, and they all stopped to talk with her.”
— Mary Scott | Managing director | Matter Inc.
