Dan Mannix Dan Mannix, a Garden City native, and president of NYC-based LeadDog Marketing Group, was recently nominated for the SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 award.

The SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 celebrates the 40 most influential sports executives under the age of 40. In its eighth year, this has become one of the most prestigious and sought after awards in the industry for up-and-coming executives. The program began with six consecutive months of promotion for nominations and culminated with a Special Report in the March12-18th issue of the Journal, as well as an awards banquet attended by luminaries throughout the sports industry.

Mannix started LeadDog marketing Group in 1999, where he has made it his mantra to run a "different kind of agency" where success is defined by LeadDog's reputation, long-term client partnerships and employee-focused company culture. LeadDog's growth, coupled with his impressive sports career, is what secured Dan his spot on this year's list. Dan graduated from Garden City High School in 1985 and then went on to major in History and Sociology at the University of Richmond. After graduating in 1989, Mannix started his career at the Houston Astrodome and then joined the NBA in 1992. There, he helped launch the NBA Jam Session and the WNBA before founding LeadDog.