GMB Executives
Garriet Blair
President, CEO
President, CEO
Garriet M. Blair is Owner and Founder of GMB Management Group, located in Frisco, TX since 2001. Garriet is a member of the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame as a standout wide receiver on the undefeated 1990 NAIA Division II National Championship football team. Upon graduating and acting as his own "Agent" he received professional tryouts from the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers and CFL's Edmonton Eskimos, while playing semipro in Florida.
A graduate of Peru State College with a degree in Business Management and Computer Science, Garriet has over 25 years of business and financial management experience with Fortune 500 companies. He has been a Certified Contract Advisor representing professional football players with the NFL Players Association since 2002. He has been coaching young athletes since 1992, is Certified in Speed and Agility Instruction and Youth Fitness Training. He is an active member in New Life Community Church in Frisco, TX and is married 25 years to his lovely wife Lisa. They have two beautiful kids, Finley and Garrison.
Jeffrey Smith
Director of Business Development/Client Services
Director of Business Development/Client Services
Jeff has been working with GMB since 2005 using an extensive background in the marketing and sales industry to increase the company's overall growth. Upon attaining his MBA in Sports Management and Marketing in 2013 Jeff began to focus his efforts more on increasing the brand awareness of GMB and it's clients' PR, sports marketing, merchandising, and sports communications footprint.
Additional responsibilities include assisting with preparing college athletes to become potential pro prospects for the NFL & CFL. I advise GMB during player evaluation, film breakdown, building agent and player relationships, assist clients with the interview process with NFL & CFL General Managers, Coaches and Scouts along with other services.
Jeff also brings a wealth of professional football experience to GMB. He was a drafted rookie out of college in 1991 with the Miami Tribe of the defunct PSFL professional spring league. The following year he signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) after receiving a tryout invite by the team. Jeff went on to play in the Arena Football League with the Miami Hooters, Tampa Bay Storm, and the Florida Bobcats. Jeff's son, Jeff Smith II, plays for the NY Jets and is one of GMB's many clients.
Justin Tall
Sports Business Affairs Agent Assistant
Sports Business Affairs Agent Assistant
Justin Tall at 23 years of age is the newest oncoming member of GMB and serves as the Sports Business Affairs Agent Assistant. From Alexandria, Virginia, but relocating to the North Carolina Chapel Hill area, Justin has always pursued and exhibited excellence, good character, and education. Mr. Tall is a recent 2022 graduate of the Center for Sports Leadership (CSL) program through the VCU School of Business, in which he obtained his Masters Degree. He majored in Mass Communications with a focus in Strategic Advertising and a Minor in Entrepreneurship in 2021 when he received his Bachelor's Degree.
His responsibilities within the company consist of providing administrative support, including technology/phones, coordinating meetings, schedules, and travel as well as preparing expense reports. He does editing, proofreading, summarizing, and redlining agreements and correspondence. Justin serves as the first point of contact with agents, executives, and assistants. Tracking contracts and maintaining accurate files, as well as assisting with special projects, research, compiling information as needed.
His experience in the sports talent management business consists of interning with William Morris Endeavor in New York where he served as the "Basketball Marketing Intern" and worked on Fortune 500 level company brand deals for NBA athletes, sat in on NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) athlete deals, and pitched special projects to sports agents. During that time he also interned at GMB Management Group virtually, where he worked on both marketing and business plans for the company long term as the "Marketing Intern".
However, it is not just limited to sports as he interned at both AT&T and the Livingston Lobbying Firm in Washington D.C. As the son of two lawyers, one of which served in the military, and one of which attended Cornell University, he has been around the legal negotiation business all his life. In his own experience he has played football, basketball, track, and baseball. He is also certified in AED/CPR training. As a passionate sports fan he took his love for the game into not just playing it, but being able to manage those who play it at the highest level. Fun fact: Willie Mays baseball HOF and great is his cousin. His Uncle also served as the football defensive coordinator at UNC Charlotte, West Virginia University, and University of Michigan to name a few.
Rick Keys
General Counsel
General Counsel
Rick Keys is an attorney and partner in Keys Law Offices, PC. He brings more than two decades of experience to the firm, and has dedicated his life to helping his clients seek and find justice. A 1991 graduate of Chicago's John Marshall Law School, Rick is dually licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Iowa. He concentrates his practice in personal injury claims and criminal defense, including traffic cases.
Rick prides himself on his ability to get stellar results for his personal injury clients. He began his career as a workers' compensation, property and bodily injury insurance adjuster for the Hartford Insurance Company. In this role, he investigated claims, negotiated settlements, and managed attorneys. He knows firsthand how insurance companies work, and he uses this knowledge to negotiate fair settlements, resolve cases in a timely fashion, and - when a case goes to trial - to zealously litigate on behalf of his clients.
A dedicated family man, Rick is the proud father of four children ranging in age from 25 to 13. He's also a devoted grandfather to one grandchild. A dedicated sports enthusiast, he's been involved with youth sports leagues and has served as a broadcaster for high school football in Illinois and Iowa. He's spent the last several years helping one of his children work toward a career in professional tennis.