CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
January 2012
Published Monthly September through May
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A Busy Man

Mark Romig 2011
Mark Romig 2011

Mark Romig 1974
Mark Romig 1974

Jerry Romig
Jerry Romig as Brother Martin Parents Club President

Mark Romig achieved a dream by following in his dad's footsteps as President of the Sugar Bowl. The year was 2005. But's let not get ahead of ourselves.

  • Mark graduated from Brother Martin in 1974, two years after his brother Jay.
  • School was a family affair for the Romigs. Sister Mary Beth was a cheerleader. Father Jerry served as President of the Parents Club. (Jerry is well known as the longtime public address announcer at Saints games. He was also an executive at WDSU-TV from 1956-1974.)
  • To illlustrate Mark's involvement in Brother Martin, he has 16 listings in the index of the 1974 Yearbook. He was vice-president of the chorus, Crusader associate editor, Academics editor of Yesterday V, vice-president of the Key Club, a member of the senior intramural football champions, a Senior of the Month, listed in Outstanding Teenagers of America, co-winner with Barry Hebert of the Lambert Trophy at graduation, and a Golden Crusader both his junior and senior years.
  • Mark earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UNO's pioneering Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism program. He has said that one of his goals at that point was managing the Royal Orleans Hotel. That was not to be (at least yet), but he has certainly reached many more landmarks.

Mark embarked on a highly successful career in marketing and public relations in his native city with a brief sojourn to Washington D.C. thrown in.

  • Mark served as Director of Protocol and Guest Relations for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.
  • He was part of the staff of Elizabeth Dole, the Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation from 1985-7, and worked as an assistant to Mrs. Dole during her husband's run for the presidential nomination in 1987-8.
  • Mark returned to New Orleans and worked at Peter A. Mayer Advertising for 16 years, attaining the position of President of the Public Relations Division. During this period, he was named Top Executive by the Advertising Club of New Orleans in 2002.
  • He became Vice President, Marketing and Public Relations (Delta Division) of HCA Healthcare.
  • He is currently CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. When the board tapped him for the job, chairman Darryl Berger said:

I think he's really the right person at the right time. He is universally respected, both professionally and personally.

  • In early December, Mark spoke of the exceptional series of sporting events being hosted by the Crescent City.

I would call this an unprecedented, historic month for the city. In fact, it's an unprecedented, historic several months. We are really at ground zero as it relates to major events, major national championship events, happening here in the city of New Orleans. No other urban center in the nation can claim that.

  • Mark was referring to the New Orleans Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the BCS National Championship Game, as well as the SEC Basketball Tournament in March, the NCAA Final Four in April, not to mention the Super Bowl in 2013. He estimated the local economic impact of just the Sugar Bowl and BCS championship at a half a billion dollars.

Mark has also forged a para llel career of volunteer service. Here's a listing of some of the organizations and institutions on whose boards he has served.

  • Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation
  • Fore!Kids Foundation
  • North-American Interfraternity Conference
  • Longue Vue House and Gardens
  • The Emeril Lagasse Foundation
  • TKE Educational Foundation
  • Project Lazarus, which provides services to AIDS victims
  • Southern Repertory Theater
  • City Park Board of Commissioners
  • Executive Leadership Council of the American Cancer Society (New Orleans area)
  • The Idea Village, which identifies, supports, and retains entrepreneurial talent in New Orleans.
  • St. Andrew's Village, a community where both adults with developmental disabilities and non-disabled individuals live
  • Board of Trustees, Xavier University

Let's return to Mark's involvement with the Sugar Bowl.

  • Katrina devastated New Orleans during Mark's first year as President. He had 3 1/2' of water in his uptown residence. Yet, like so many others in leadership positions, he concentrated on restoring the city he loved. "Our job is to be part of the recovery of the economy," Mark said of his organization. "It is our hope that major league football remains in New Orleans on both the college and professional level. I don't want to speculate any more beyond this year, except to say that the Sugar Bowl will still be around."
  • Since refurbishing the Superdome would take at least a year, the Sugar Bowl Executive Committee searched for an alternative site for its 2005 game.
  • At first, they hoped to keep the game in Louisiana by staging it at Tiger Stadium. The problem was lack of hotel rooms since evacuees had doubled Baton Rouge's population and many hotels in New Orleans had been damaged by the storm.
  • So the Sugar Bowl decided to hold the 2005 game in Atlanta. Mark told a news conference there:

This year has been an extremely challenging one for all of us involved. This has been a very hard decision for us, very emotional. But we look forward to our return to New Orleans, the country's most interesting city. We are fortunate to be hosted by the great people in Atlanta. We will forever be grateful to the hospitality shown to us over the past several weeks.

  • The game came off without a hitch in the Georgia Dome, with West Virginia upsetting SEC champion Georgia 38-35.
  • With the Superdome restored in time for the Saints' home opener in 2006, the Sugar Bowl came home.

Mark remains active with the Sugar Bowl. Also, he and his dad have been appointed co-chairmen of the media and public relations committee for the 2013 Super Bowl Host Committee.

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