As a kid growing up in Clinton, Greg Pevey ran to the nearest grocery store every August looking for the new release of the college football annuals to see where his favorite team would be ranked in the SEC.
“I was always disappointed that they were ranked either last or next to last in the SEC every year, but that never discouraged me from going out to buy the new magazines. I loved the stories, the pictures, the previews…the whole package,” Pevey tells us.
“I guess my addiction comes from being raised in a huge sports family. I played football under Coach James Sloan at Clinton High School, we watched the Saints every Sunday and went to college ball games every weekend,” Pevey recalls. “I can remember going with my dad and my Great Uncle Henry to the old double-headers at Memorial Stadium and seeing Ole Miss play LSU or Alabama that afternoon and then go see State play Florida or Memphis State that night. Those were busy days but ones I’ll never forget.”
“Being in a sports family and having that passion that so many of us have here in Mississippi about our favorite teams, I wanted to give something back to the universities, the high schools and to the fans for the experiences they had given me growing up and the ones I enjoy today,” Pevey says. The idea of a new business venture came to mind: Mississippi Sports Magazine.
“The whole idea seriously hit me about 16 years ago when I was a student at Hinds Community College in the Commercial Design program under Mike Hattaway. I loved reading Sports Illustrated and, of course, the college annuals and I thought to myself, why can’t Mississippi have a magazine like this? One that could showcase all the sports history and tradition that is unique to Mississippi? Not just featuring stories on past heroes in our state but everyday Mississippians as well. There are people all over our state who have done so much in the sports field, either personally or professionally, who deserve to have their story told. That’s what I wanted to showcase and make Mississippi Sports Magazine about…Mississippians!”
Mississippi Sports Magazine will never be a “fluff” magazine, Pevey claims. “I don’t want it to be something people flip through while they are waiting on their car’s oil to be changed or waiting to see the doctor like some magazines in the area. I want the magazine to be really read from cover to cover. I want people to keep an issue and take it home with them and share it with others. When we released our first issue in July 2008 we had a radio remote at an advertisers location and had so many people come up and tell me that it was about time we had something like this in Mississippi! That was the response I was looking for.”
Pevey has had some great work experiences to help make his dream even more a reality, having been in the graphic design and advertising field since 1992. In those years he has worked at print shops, ad agencies, and most recently six years at Pearl River Resort as a graphic designer and as Creative Director winning numerous Addy Awards along the way. Pevey has also been associated with the success of magazines that are currently recognizable in their own rights.
“I think what absolutely got me focused on doing Mississippi Sports Magazine was the opportunity I had working with Scott Coopwood in Cleveland, helping him start up Delta magazine. What a great magazine that has turned into,” Pevey says. “I am very proud to say I had a part in that publication. I saw they had their five-year anniversary a few months ago and are still using the same layout I did for them from the beginning. Working on that publication inspired me in a way whereby I could fulfill my own dreams.” (Editor’s note: Pevey’s artistic skills and keen eye will also prove valuable to Greater Jackson Business as well as Madison Magazine and Neshoba Magazine).
Pevey is quick to acknowledge that he had help turning his business idea into a tangible reality: “I have to thank my wife, Mendy, for her support. She got so tired of hearing me talk about the magazine on a daily basis for 15 years that she finally told me to ‘shut up and do it. It’s not going to happen by itself.’ I am very thankful to have her by my side and to have her here helping me make this happen. She is a big part of our success. My parents and my brothers have also been a huge supporting cast for me, as well. Their encouragement, help and faith in what Mendy and I are doing has been amazing.”
Going from behind the scenes into the public arena, Greg Pevey has made a noticeable splash with Mississippi Sports Magazine. By turning a personal dream into a marketable niche, he has filled a huge void in Mississippi publishing with a locally produced sports magazine, one that the state can be proud to claim as its own. – PM
