Gusto! founder Nate Hybl has named Nick Tapp as the company’s director of marketing. Tapp, who boasts more than 15 years of experience creating marketing, branding and advertising strategies, will now oversee all brand-level marketing, promotions, media and partnerships for the Atlanta-based restaurant chain serving fresh bowls and wraps with bold, global flavors.
An admirer of Hybl’s zeal and business acumen, Tapp was immediately attracted to this opportunity to contribute to gusto!’s mission. “Nate’s passion, grit, work ethic, vision and overwhelming desire to bring more goodness into the world through open-armed generosity is infectious, and that positive energy ripples throughout the entire company,” he says.
Tapp, an Atlanta native who has spent the past 13 years in leadership roles, has founded three companies, launched two media brands, created dozens of marketing and promotional campaigns and produced more than 100 events. He is an award-winning expert in his field and a collaborative partner who knows how to inspire teams and achieve sustainable success. Prior to gusto!, he worked with ArtsATL, to guide the rebrand and relaunch of the 10-year-old arts media outlet.
“Nick has an impressive history of creating innovative promotions and strategic partnerships,” says Hybl. “He also shares our passion for positivity, community involvement and empowering team members, and I’m very excited to have him on board.”
From 2015 to 2018, Tapp served as the director of marketing, promotions and events for Creative Loafing. During this time, he conceptualized and produced ATL Burger Week in partnership with the Georgia Beef Board and led the creative teams and marketing strategy for a complete rebrand of the iconic Atlanta paper. Previously, as a media and marketing consultant for Cox Radio (97.1 The River), he generated $200k in new revenue working with brands such as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson and NASCAR in addition to multiple small businesses. His previous work at Cumulus Media earned him a national award for his creative promotional campaign. Tapp’s past clients include The Georgia Lottery, Turner, Live Nation, Talladega Superspeedway, Guinness, Pepsi, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Anheuser-Busch.
Outside of work, Tapp donates his time as the founder of Marketing Minds of Atlanta, a 900-member networking group, and as a member of Fox Theatre’s ATL Tastemakers, which is a committee to support the city’s cultural DNA. He also is on ATL Collective’s Marketing Advisory Committee, where he helps the non-profit music group grow brand awareness, programs and donations.
“We have a culture of continual improvement; we want the gusto! experience to extend way beyond the four walls of our restaurants,” says Tapp of what he aims to achieve in his new role. “Our goal is to make each and every community that gusto! serves proud to have us as its neighbor, each team member proud to be a part of what we’re doing, and every guest feel like their moment with us was one of the highlights of their day.”
