Talon Talk Ep. 41: "Collaboration and Community" -- Josh Martino
9/24/2020 12:30:00 PM | General
President and Legal Counsel for Bono's Pit B-B-Q and Willie Jewell's Old School Bar-B-Q
In episode 41 of Talon Talk we speak with Josh Martino, president and legal counsel of Bono's Pit B-B-Q and Willie Jewell's Old School BBQ. UNF Athletics and Bono's Pit B-B-Q have been sponsorship partners for over 10 years.
With business changing for the Bar-B-Q franchise and athletic event schedules altered at UNF, Martino speaks with how they have adjusted their operations, how he's involved in the Jacksonville community, the University of North Florida and UNF Athletics specifically.
Martino is a class of 2015 Leadership Jacksonville graduate and was named to the Jacksonville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 in 2016. The Atlanta, Ga., native and his family reside in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Established in 1949, Bono's has 36 locations while becoming a staple in Bar-B-Q cuisine in Northeast Florida. Family owned, Josh Martino's opportunity to join the restaurant industry came through a family connection with Bono's.
Martino, a practicing attorney from Atlanta who studied law at Vanderbilt and the Cardozo School of Law in New York City, was approached by his father-in-law with the chance to serve as Bono's COO in 2006.
"I kind of stumbled into it and quickly fell in love with the industry," Martino said.
Martino quickly joined the workings of the city and community upon arriving in 2003. He joined the board of Feeding Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, the Tiger Academy Charter School and the Operation New Hope.
The same year he was a class of 2015 Jacksonville Leadership graduate, Martino took on his current role as president and legal counsel at Bono's Pit B-B-Q and Willie Jewell's. A challenging role in itself, COVID-19's impact on the restaurant industry made it even more trying.
"Between that, supply chain issues, health issues, labor issues, it's really been a lot more curve balls than we are used to," Martino said. "We have to say we are one of the fortunate ones, really grateful. The community here has been incredibly supportive."
The business acted creatively, opening locations as pop-up grocery stores for hard to find items. It also works to bolster financial output to scholarships.
"We've started a scholarship and committed a fund for four years, and odds are for much longer after that," Martino said. "We've been working with Operation New Hope and some of the graduates of the ready for work program."
Operation New Hope operates out of Jacksonville, Florida and acts as a re-entry program to provide ex-offenders career training and support to aid in finding jobs.
"We're starting to build that fund and create that application and vetting process for people that will be awarded that scholarship," Martino said. "The people at UNF have just been awesome to work with."
In addition to Operation New Hope and Bono's longtime partnership with UNF Athletics, Martino has been involved with UNF by working with the Taylor Leadership Institute and the UNF Student Affairs Community Council.
"I joined the student affairs community council years ago and really got an in-depth look at the university from the infrastructure to all of the amazing programs for so many of the students that come there, and I've just been blown away," Martino said.
Being involved with a variety of efforts and having changed careers himself, Martino emphasizes becoming a work "chameleon" and learning as many skills and topics of study for today's students.
"Figure out what you're passionate about and then run full steam ahead," Martino said. "Be a chameleon. It's so much more fun to do a lot of different things than one thing."
For the complete audio interview click here >> Listen
With business changing for the Bar-B-Q franchise and athletic event schedules altered at UNF, Martino speaks with how they have adjusted their operations, how he's involved in the Jacksonville community, the University of North Florida and UNF Athletics specifically.
Martino is a class of 2015 Leadership Jacksonville graduate and was named to the Jacksonville Business Journal's 40 Under 40 in 2016. The Atlanta, Ga., native and his family reside in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Established in 1949, Bono's has 36 locations while becoming a staple in Bar-B-Q cuisine in Northeast Florida. Family owned, Josh Martino's opportunity to join the restaurant industry came through a family connection with Bono's.
Martino, a practicing attorney from Atlanta who studied law at Vanderbilt and the Cardozo School of Law in New York City, was approached by his father-in-law with the chance to serve as Bono's COO in 2006.
"I kind of stumbled into it and quickly fell in love with the industry," Martino said.
Martino quickly joined the workings of the city and community upon arriving in 2003. He joined the board of Feeding Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, the Tiger Academy Charter School and the Operation New Hope.
The same year he was a class of 2015 Jacksonville Leadership graduate, Martino took on his current role as president and legal counsel at Bono's Pit B-B-Q and Willie Jewell's. A challenging role in itself, COVID-19's impact on the restaurant industry made it even more trying.
"Between that, supply chain issues, health issues, labor issues, it's really been a lot more curve balls than we are used to," Martino said. "We have to say we are one of the fortunate ones, really grateful. The community here has been incredibly supportive."
The business acted creatively, opening locations as pop-up grocery stores for hard to find items. It also works to bolster financial output to scholarships.
"We've started a scholarship and committed a fund for four years, and odds are for much longer after that," Martino said. "We've been working with Operation New Hope and some of the graduates of the ready for work program."
Operation New Hope operates out of Jacksonville, Florida and acts as a re-entry program to provide ex-offenders career training and support to aid in finding jobs.
"We're starting to build that fund and create that application and vetting process for people that will be awarded that scholarship," Martino said. "The people at UNF have just been awesome to work with."
In addition to Operation New Hope and Bono's longtime partnership with UNF Athletics, Martino has been involved with UNF by working with the Taylor Leadership Institute and the UNF Student Affairs Community Council.
"I joined the student affairs community council years ago and really got an in-depth look at the university from the infrastructure to all of the amazing programs for so many of the students that come there, and I've just been blown away," Martino said.
Being involved with a variety of efforts and having changed careers himself, Martino emphasizes becoming a work "chameleon" and learning as many skills and topics of study for today's students.
"Figure out what you're passionate about and then run full steam ahead," Martino said. "Be a chameleon. It's so much more fun to do a lot of different things than one thing."
For the complete audio interview click here >> Listen
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