Leadership
Bruce Kostic
National Sales Manager
Bio
Bruce Kostic serves as the Sales Manager for the Beverage Information Group based in Norwalk, CT, a trade based media concern specializing in the beverage alcohol industry whose titles include Beverage Dynamics, Cheers and StateWays.
Prior to joining the Beverage Information Group, he was the National Accounts Director for The Maxim Group headquartered in New York, NY. During his career in advertising, Kostic served as the Director of Advertising Partnerships at Business Week Magazine for 14 years and Category Manager at Time Magazine for 14 years.
Kostic earned his B.A. at Oberlin College and went on to acquire his M.A. from Florida State University.
James C. Sammartino
Golf, Tennis, Endorsements
Bio
James C. Sammartino has more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and sports management. His background includes advertising sales and marketing at GOLF Magazine and golf.com, as well as publisher of Men’s Fitness Magazine. In addition, Sammartino has held management roles at Guideposts (founded by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author of “The Power of Positive Thinking”); MAXIM, maxim.com and the Reader’s Digest Association.
Sammartino is on the vestry of Christ Church in Short Hills, and the Board of Cento Amici, a non-profit that raises scholarship funds for New Jersey high schools and colleges. In addition, Sammartino is a member of the New York Athletic Club and Essex County Country Club in West Orange, NJ.
Sammartino received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Latin American Studies from Tulane University.
Robert Zito
Bio
Bob Zito has more than 30 years’ experience as a brand communications and advertising and public relations executive in the sports, financial, pharmaceutical and entertainment industries. As the Executive Vice President and member of the Management Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, Zito built the NYSE’s brand into one of the most respected in the world. He is best known for bringing television to the NYSE trading floor, and creating the daily “must-see” events of high-powered newsmakers ringing the opening and closing bells, creating global visibility for NYSE-listed companies and member firms.
As Sony’s Vice President of corporate communications, he helped rebrand the company as a global entertainment leader following Sony’s acquisitions of CBS Records and Columbia Pictures.
During his time as Chief Communications Officer and a member of the Management Committee of Bristol-Myers Squibb he guided the successful ‘Together we can prevail’ brand campaign, which focused on the company’s mission to help patients prevail over serious diseases. In all three roles, Zito handled many crisis communications assignments ranging from criminal issues, to business interruptions, to executive transitions.
At Zito Partners and Ketchum Zito Financial, Zito has helped companies with similar crisis engagements, helping CEOs and Management Committees with critical business and personal issues. Zito served as the Chairman of the Board for Pcubed, a global project and program management consultancy, serves as Vice Chairman of the FDNY Foundation, and serves on the boards of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and Cento Amici. He was also responsible for the New York Stock Exchange and Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundations. In 1998 he started the NYSE Fallen Heroes Fund, and in 1991, the Zito Family Scholarships at St. Peter’s Prep.
He is a graduate of Fairfield University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. A 1998 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Zito continues to be a guest lecturer at Rutgers University.