THOM 5 | Fall / Winter 2015

Since 2004, Bob has spearheaded the advertising, graphic
design, digital development, and corporate identity work for
Sharp Communications’ clientele. Add to that the due diligence
he spends researching other companies, balancing his team,
developing future business strategies, and learning new
technologies, and it’s easy to see why he doesn’t sleep much.
“People ask me what I’m reading and I laugh. There’s no time. I
read constantly, sure, but it’s rooted in the industry. It’s to stay
relevant. At this frantic pace, I can’t miss a moment — I can’t
miss an opportunity to know about the latest thing. The latest
technology. The latest trend.” It’s hard for him to turn off. Until,
of course, he comes South.
Field Work
Added up, Bob estimates he spends about 42 nights a year in the
Thomasville area, especially between November and April. “It’s
the tonic I need,” he says of these visits. “It’s the disruption in my
life — yes, I mean disruption — that lets me really think. It helps
me unwind so I can return home and be better at what I do.”
Not that his Thomasville time is all leisure, no. “My family
taught me from a very early age that you should get involved
and engage with the things that you truly care about.” For the
Irelands, that’s the Red Hills. To that end, Bob is active with
the Thomasville Center for the Arts, Due South, Plantation
Wildlife Arts Festival (which was founded by Bob’s cousin, Margo
Bindhardt), Tall Timbers, and the Red Hills Initiative, to name a
few.
He’s humble about his contributions, but fellow board members
tout his talent with an appreciation for the contemporary edge
and “dream bigger” spirit that Bob fearlessly and unapologetically
infuses into everything he touches.
When Bob’s around town, people tend to know — the guy simply
stands out. Six-foot-something with big hands and a husky build,
he wears the standard Thomasville khaki and plaid with a belt
and boots, but walks and talks a bit faster than we’re used to.
That’s because he’s thinking. Always thinking.
I have to imagine he catches eyes in New York, too, with his
rugged charm and wild-at-heart wit. A Southerner in the city, if
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