Kymberly Brantigan grew up in the motorsports industry as the daughter of a short track owner/promoter and attended her first sponsorship meeting at the age of 16. Working summers with her Mom and involved in organizing promotions and events, hosting sponsors, writing press releases and assisting with press conferences, Brantigan went on to gain a degree in marketing and management from the University of Dayton, and interned at NASCAR while in college.

Starting with Performance PR Plus in 1995, Brantigan was hired as a hospitality coordinator but by midyear started training under founder Ron Miller and quickly advanced to publicist for Jeff Gordon and the DuPont Motorsports program in 1996. She served as Gordon’s publicist for five years before being promoted to Vice President, then President and ultimately partner in the organization.

Brantigan was hands on through the explosion of Jeff Gordon’s career and NASCAR’s popularity and is very savvy with the media, industry professionals, communicating effectively with high-level corporate clients and working closely with celebrities and dignitaries.

Having sat in the board rooms and guided the marketing and public relations strategies for Fortune 500 companies such as DuPont with driver Jeff Gordon, Texaco/Havoline with drivers (the late) Kenny Irwin and Ricky Rudd, The Home Depot with driver Tony Stewart, franchise business Great Clips for Hair with driver Kasey Kahne, and upstart companies with new product launches such as inthinc, inc. with NASCAR Truck Series driver Chad McCumbee and NHRA driver Doug Herbert -- Brantigan is skilled at customizing strategic marketing, PR and hospitality needs for corporate clients.

With that, Brantigan decided to diversify in order to maintain long-term sustainable growth for the business and founded The Charlotte Destination Group (CDG), a Performance PR Plus company. Having been the biggest corporate entertainer in NASCAR over the last two decades, when Charlotte won the bid for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Brantigan saw a niche in which to enter the Charlotte hospitality industry as an event and destination management company. Although specializing in exclusive motorsports-themed events and activities, CDG provides high-level corporate events of all kinds including annual meetings, board meetings, team-building and unique off-site customer events and tours for associations and companies of all sizes. In its first full year of operation, CDG was the recipient of the 2008 Visit Charlotte Service Partner-of-the-Year award.