Belmont Entrepreneurial Showcase: Parthenon Publishing

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Parthenon Publishing specializes in developing print and on-line custom publications for the customers, membership groups and employees of sponsoring companies. Bobby Stark co-founded Parthenon Publishing in 2002, 10 years after receiving an MBA from Belmont University.
Bobby Stark was an experienced marketing strategist with over 15 years experience when he in decided to start his own business.
Parthenon Publishing, Inc. had no existing customers or clients, so Bobby had to hit the street and work hard to establish a client base for his new company. By offering a customized approach to multi media communications, Parthenon was able to quickly earn a loyal base of customers who have helped refer more new clients to his business. Parthenon now serves some of Nashville’s biggest companies, including HCA, TravelCenters of America (TA), Fleet One, Spheris, Psychiatric Solutions, and IASIS. Three years after it’s founding, Parthenon now has sales of over $2.8 million and 10 employees.
TravelCenters of America’s magazine, RoadKing, boasts a circulation of over 225,000 readers and is distributed at all of TA’s 160 locations nationwide. Parthenon not only manages the content and layout, but they also handle all aspects of advertising and publication.
Bobby is active in Young Entrepreneur’s Organization (YEO) an organization dedicated to entrepreneurship and continued education.
When asked why he chose Nashville to launch Parthenon, Bobby said that it is a great place for entrepreneurs to find kindred spirits. Both the city of Nashville and the local business have made the area great for aspiring businesses and entrepreneurs.
“Nashville is a really fun town for entrepreneurs.”
Bobby accounts Parthenon’s growth to how well they know their customers’ businesses and their intended audience for each publication. Parthenon acts as an advocate for the reader, engaging them with content and information. This is a challenge in the information age of today, with a reader’s time continuing to be a valuable commodity.
Bobby says that continuing to attract and maintain the best people will be their biggest challenge as they try to continue to grow their business. He believes that it is the Parthenon team that draws and retains customers. It is this team that also keeps Parthenon successful in their highly competitive market.