Bulldog 100 Profile: Greg Abel (ABJ ’95)

This is one of a series of interviews honoring Grady College alumni who have been recognized as Bulldog 100 recipients in 2026. The Bulldog 100 is sponsored by the UGA Alumni Association and celebrates the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni.

Greg Abel (ABJ ’95) founded Tailfin Marketing—an integrated marketing and brand agency—in 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia, originally with one other employee—his dog, Brisby. Over 25 years, the Tailfin team has partnered with clients big and small, including brands like Coca-Cola, Hilton Hotels, Chick-fil-A, Synovus, Home Depot, Georgia Pacific, Piedmont Healthcare, Phoebe Health and Georgia Natural Gas, winning a wall full of awards along the way. The following question and answer session was conducted.

How did your time at Grady College shape your career aspirations?

Before Grady, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I knew I loved telling stories, but with my low patience, becoming a writer—or even a reporter—wasn’t for me. The Advertising world I discovered at Grady fit perfectly—storytelling in condensed form, with a real sense of commerce and industry tied in. It was a perfect fit and a clear path forward.

What was your first job in the communications field, and how did it set the stage for your career growth?

I started at McCann Erickson 3 days after graduation. McCann was and is a flag bearer of big, global advertising agency behemoths. I was more or less thrown into the fire from day one and I learned a ton—both what I wanted to do and what I didn’t. I loved the idea of McCann’s motto of “Truth Well Told” and still live by that to this day. What I didn’t love for long was the stratified corporate structure, which in the long run, inspired me to launch my own shop.

What does it mean to you to be recognized as a Bulldog 100 honoree?

Over the years, we’ve won dozens and dozens of awards, but for some reason, this one just means more. I am a deeply passionate Bulldog and I’m always proud (and a little amazed) at the success my fellow Dogs enjoy, so it’s a really special honor to be on the receiving end of this level of recognition.

What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?  

I started a few months before 9/11 and have since weathered two recessions and COVID. Resilience—through tenacity, adaptation or just pure hustle—is burned into our DNA. That, and we never get “out cared”—our clients know we will be there for them through thick and thin, and that trust creates a powerful sense of loyalty.

How do you approach building and maintaining relationships in the communications industry?

It is 100% about trust. These brands are trusting us to be their voice, to uncover and tell their stories and to do it efficiently and effectively. We create trust by speaking directly and always doing what we said we were going to. We deepen it with a little delight—the unexpected above-and-beyond extras that surprise clients with something more than they asked for.

Who has been a mentor or significant influence in your professional journey, and what impact did they have on you?

Legendary Georgia man—and my first boss—Clisby Clarke. He taught me that being an original is a true asset, but only if it’s authentic and real. His influence has freed me to just be who I am, and I think that makes it easier for me to connect and maintain really strong relationships for years with team members and clients.

What habits or routines do you believe have contributed to your success?

Writing it down, whatever “it” is—an idea, a line, a question, a thought. Blank pages can be intimidating, but when you start writing, doodling or just sketching it out, the idea becomes real and the potential starts to take shape.

How do you define success in your career, and has that definition changed over time?

I’d be a liar if I didn’t say financial success is a key measure, but you also have to genuinely enjoy what you do. Over the years, that enjoyment has morphed a bit—I’m no longer focused on seeing how my individual efforts succeed, I’m taking more pride on seeing how those people I bring together succeed. It’s a pretty amazing change, because those successes are so much more multiplied.

Abel is one of nine Grady alumni named to this year’s Bulldog 100 list, named by the UGA Alumni Association. They will be celebrated on Feb. 20. The list of Grady College alumni and their businesses include:

• Greg Abel (ABJ ’95), Tailfin Marketing
• Selby Hill (ABJ ’14), Yonder Yoga
• Robin Burnett (ABJ ’99, BSFCS ’00), Robin Burnett Design
• Elizabeth Newton (ABJ ’99), enewton design
• Josh Cagliani (ABJ ’09, MED ’10), Big Apple Services, Inc.
• David Cogdell (ABJ ’76, MA ’83), President of Pindot Media
• Jason Russell (ABJ ’96), Stable Kernel
• Catherine Denham (ABJ ’05), Catherine Denham Travel
• Stuart Watson (ABJ ’97), WinGen by Swordpoint Services

Author: Anyi Morfaw; abm40431@uga.edu