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Mike Mahr

Advertising Director, The Washington Times

Inducted into MDDC’s Hall of Fame in 2010. This article is based on information submitted at the time.

Mike Mahr
Mike Mahr

Mike Mahr is a native of the area. He was born in Bethesda, Maryland, and is a 1973 graduate of the University of Maryland. He served in the United States Marine Corp from 1968 to 1971.

Mahr’s newspaper career started in 1964 at The Washington Daily News, working part  time during high  school in the circulation department at the service desk taking starts, stops and complaints. He continued to work part time while attending the University of Maryland, moving into the business office collecting transient  petty accounts for advertising.

After returning from military service, Mahr began his advertising career at The Washington Daily News handling automotive accounts in classified.

After The Washington  Daily News closed in July 1972, Mahr moved to The Washington Star where he handled real estate accounts, eventually becoming the real estate advertising manager.

In 1976 Mahr moved to The Washington Post and was placed in the automotive department handling accounts in Prince Georges County and the District of Columbia. In 1980 he was promoted  to automotive sales manger and in 1985 to group sales manager, responsible for over $200 million in advertising revenue and a staff of eighty-five people.

In 1989 he moved to Army Times Publishing Company as the advertising manager, overseeing classified, retail and national advertising revenue.

From 1992 until 2009, Mahr was the advertising director for The Washington Times, directing a staff of eighty people.

Mahr lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife Libby. They have two grown children, Chris and Wes; and two grandchildren, Tyler, 6, and Jackson, 5. He is an active member of the Washington  Board of  Trade and The Greater Washington Initiative. His hobbies include golf, fishing and hunting.