MARTY BAUMAN, President and Owner

Marty Bauman founded Classic Communications in 1979 and quickly built the company into a well respected public relations, marketing and event management firm. While representing a variety of interests, including serving as Press Secretary for the 1983 Boston mayoral campaign of Lawrence S. DiCara, Marty made equestrian sports Classic’s initial focus. After building a reputation for developing and implementing creative and successful programs, Marty was hired in 1990 as Director of Public Relations for the United States Equestrian Team (USET), a position he held until 2004 when the USET became the USET Foundation.

During that time, he was selected by the United States Olympic Committee to serve as equestrian press officer at three Olympic Games. In 1998, he served as Chairman of the USOC’s Olympic Public Relations Association, the first time the position was held by someone other than a USOC employee.

Marty serves as Executive Director of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2010, he negotiated and coordinated the Hall of Fame’s move from its longtime home in Tampa, Florida to the Kentucky Horse Park. He has served as press chief for the last seven Show Jumping World Cup Finals held in the United States—in Tampa, FL in 1989, at Del Mar, CA in 1992, and at Las Vegas, NV in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009. He was also Director of Media Services and Operations for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.

In the 1990s, Marty established the environment as a second area of focus for Classic. In 1994, he helped the Rhode Island chapter of The Nature Conservancy with the announcement of its largest land purchase ever, at Beane Point on Block Island, an event featuring Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Rhode Island Senator John Chafee. Three years later, he assumed management and marketing responsibility for the Charles River Watershed Association’s Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak race. He helped develop the event to the point that about 1500 entrants now participate each year, giving each a stake in the health of the river.