MEET OUR AMAZING TEAM.
We’ve assembled an all-star team of industry go-getters, hungry for the next opportunity.
Though our current business model focuses solely on “buy-side” sponsor consultation, our collective team has accumulated a wealth of prior experience in the related fields of athlete representation, sports media buying, public relations, sponsorship sales, and on-site activation.
Jeff Armstrong
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Jeff is proud to call himself a math nerd. He geeks out on analytics. He loves a complicated Excel spreadsheet. He looks forward to research presentations. And his own personal frugality simply won’t allow him to let his clients spend their money unless there is supporting data and ROI metrics in place to justify every dollar spent.
Prior to co-founding Strong Side Sports & Entertainment in 2024, Jeff spent nearly 27 years at The Richards Group. The first portion of Jeff’s tenure at TRG was spent as a media planning director working on clients such as Invesco Mutual Funds, Advance Auto, Patron Tequila and Gander Mountain. In 2014, Jeff created TRG’s in-house sports marketing affiliate group, RPM Sports & Entertainment, where he managed sponsorship duties for big brands such as FRAM Filters, Motel 6, and Credit One Bank. At Strong Side, Jeff and his team now oversee all partnerships for the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, Cache Creek Casino Resort, Go RVing, and Choctaw Casinos & Resorts.
When it comes to spending his own money, Jeff does like to splurge on his favorite passions: sports, travel, and his family. He LIVES for Texas Longhorn football, North Carolina Tarheel basketball, and all of his favorite Dallas sports teams. He believes a vacation isn’t a vacation unless a passport is required. And his wife Tracy, son Avery, and daughter Ariana are the center of his world, period.
Taylor Sexton
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer
Taylor is a big-thinker with a “hustle” mentality that he considers a key piece of his character. He puts this attitude into practice in his daily pursuit to find and foster the perfect sports and entertainment partnerships for his clients.
Taylor is a dynamic leader who has been instrumental in forming some of the biggest partnerships in the agency’s history. After five years at RPM Sports & Entertainment and two years at Highfield Marketing, Taylor has played a key role in the valuation, negotiation, and execution of over $300 million in sponsorship agreements connecting Strong Side client brands like the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, Go RVing and Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, with some of the world’s top sports and entertainment properties.
Growing up around Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, Taylor has a passion for horse racing that started as a young boy. Since seeing Street Sense cross the finish line at his first Kentucky Derby, he has missed few since – and intends to keep it that way for the rest of his life. During his weekly free time, one can find Taylor at the local gym playing basketball or at Fellowship Church serving with his community of friends.
Julie Doles
Partnership Supervisor
Julie has always been able to fix things, whether it’s with a power tool or a paintbrush. She loves finding solutions to challenges, and she thrives on using her critical eye to identify a problem and solve it. This organization and critical thinking are what led her to her current role as Partnership Manager.
Before joining Strong Side in 2024, Julie had stints with RPM Sports & Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, TCU Athletics, West Michigan Whitecaps, and Frisco Fighters. At Strong Side, Julie now manages partnerships for the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, Cache Creek Casino Resort, and Go RVing.
From a very early age, Julie was destined to work in sports. She grew up in a sports household where weeknights were spent on the baseball diamond and weekends were spent at the football field. Her first words were probably “Run the ball!!” So, naturally, she spent most of her undergraduate time while at her alma mater Texas Christian University in their football offices designing trick plays. Nowadays, when Julie isn’t watching a game, she enjoys baking, reading a book, painting, or spending time with friends or family.
Tahj Washington
Partnership Manager
Tahj has taken his competitive spirit and passion for sports and made a career out of it. Learning from the athletes he watched growing up, he embarked on a path that led him to work with many different sports organizations, brands, and athletes along the way.
At LSU Football, he quickly immersed himself into the dynamic world of college football recruiting and played a pivotal role in securing top talent and contributing to the team’s 2019 national championship season. During a stint with the Atlanta Falcons, he worked closely with different stakeholders to create mutually beneficial collaborations. Before joining Strong Side in 2024, he worked with brands and athletes at Wasserman.
Tahj enjoys a good day out on the golf course, cheering on his favorite sports teams, and spending time with family and close ones. With a dedication to continuous growth an innovation, he looks forward to serving clients and providing opportunities to elevate their game.