Mark Pharris
Security Guard
Mark officially joined Camp Southern Ground October 2022 but was previously contracted with Camp through Zac Brown Collective for 10 years. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Mark’s family relocated to Alabama where in his school years he got a taste for what would be his career. He co-created the local Junior Firefighter and Auxiliary Police Officer pilot program, while participating and recruiting. After graduating he moved to Georgia and began his successful career in Safety and Security. His career spans over 35 years which includes:
Safety and Security for multiple Hotels, Condos, Office Buildings, Commercial Properties, Hospitality Events, TV/Film, Live Entertainment such as Zac Brown Band and LiveNation, and Assistant Director of Safety and Security for Special Events at Atlantic Station.
During the 1996 Olympics, he supervised over 20+ Security Officers while working closely with Local Law Enforcement Agencies, the Secret Service and the GBI.
In 2003, he worked with and traveled extensively domestically and internationally with all the U.S. Women’s, Men’s, and Youth National Soccer Teams. He is highly esteemed internationally due to all of the collaborations needed with multiple cultures, embassies, and local law enforcement in China, Japan, Guatemala, Honduras, Portugal, Italy, England, Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia, Thailand and more. With all of this, he was honored with 3 World Cup Gold Medals and many other accolades during tenure.