John Adams Jr is CEO of Richmond-based advertising firm The Martin Agency, a position he has held for the last ten years. Adams, a native of Charleston, WV, got his start in the advertising business not long after graduating from Hampden- Sydney College in 1971. Two years later, he joined Martin. Under Adams's leadership, The Martin Agency has enjoyed great success, becoming the first agency to be named "Agency of the Year" five times by Adweek Magazine. The agency has created advertising campaigns for such companies as Mercedes-Benz, Quiznos Sub, Saab, Spike TV, Miller, Olympus, Delta faucets, Ping, and NASCAR. The Martin Agency created the Geico Insurance gekko and the "brown" theme for UPS.