Stellar Marketing Launched by Long Time Rolex Executive

With an eye toward helping luxury brands further expand their audience, Stellar Marketing & Events, LLC has recently been formed to facilitate sponsorships through the development of highly targeted, strategic sports and entertainment events.

The company launched with outstanding success in creating the Honda Yacht Club at the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Florida, with only eight weeks lead-time. Tasked with creating a Monaco-style setting for the April event, Stellar was able to attract over 35 luxury yachts between 36-157 feet to dock track-side. Honda derived additional exposure during the live ESPN broadcast of the race for which the yacht club was the backdrop.

Capitalizing on expertise, Stellar will initially focus on water related sports-- sailing, fishing, luxury yachting and water skiing -- along with golf, auto sports and aviation, to help clients fully leverage those sporting events and sponsorships through advertising, public relations and promotions.

Managing Director Bill Sandberg (Riverside, Conn.) spent seven years at Rolex Watch U.S.A. where his guidance helped Rolex become the most-recognized brand associated with the sport of sailing. Sandberg applied his market knowledge to enhancing and growing existing events for US SAILING, and created sponsorships for the Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco, the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta, the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, Storm Trysail Block Island Race Week and other notable events. On the sport-fishing front, he was responsible for helping create the Rolex/IGFA Offshore and Inshore Fishing Championships, which now have over 150 qualifying events worldwide.

"Stellar Marketing will effectively do for clients what I have been doing for my entire career, especially during my tenure at Rolex," said Sandberg. "We will help clients develop a strong association with a sport or event that will serve to enhance their brand’s image."

Well-known in sailing circles for his involvement with the promotion of the sport, he has served as Vice Chairman of the Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound, is past Chairman of the Race Committee at Amercian Yacht Club (Rye, NY) and is currently a Vice President and member of the Executive Committee of US Sailing. Sandberg is a regular contributor to Windcheck the monthly publication for Long Island Sound sailors.