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Born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Atlanta, GA, Michael is the only child to Mike and Daryll Griffin. He attended Holy Innocents’ Episcopal school from 1987 – 2000. Upon graduation as a Hope Scholar, Michael attended The University of Missouri in Columbia (Mizzou) where he played guard for the Men’s Basketball Team and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, Zeta Alpha Chapter. In 2002 Michael transferred to Morehouse College where he continued his basketball career on Scholarship while majoring in Business/Marketing.
Upon graduation from Morehouse in 2005, Michael accepted a job with Russell Athletic Corporation in the Internal Audit department where he gained valuable corporate experiences in examining how a large corporate machine is managed from top to bottom and from the inside out. In 2006 Michael accepted a position as an Executive Recruiter with the Marquin Group where he was successful in garnering the largest closing in the firm’s history as well as establishing himself as the #1 recruiter at the firm.
In 2008 Michael decided it was time to take a stake in the family business, Accolades, Inc. (a Marketing firm) and accepted a position to work alongside his mother Daryll Griffin the Founder and President. As the Director of Marketing, Michael has numerous selling, training, and management responsibilities which include managing the accounts of large Corporations, mid-major companies and non-profit organizations. However, he always finds time to give back through his volunteer work.
In 2010 he was elected Treasurer of the Georgia Association of Promotional Product Professionals (GAPPP) in which he served 2 terms. Following those 2 terms, in 2012, he was elected Vice President. In 2013 he was elected the first African American ever to the Presidency of GAPPP. Following his Presidency, Michael served as the RAC delegate as well as attended LEAD in both Washington DC and Grapevine Texas. In November of 2013 Michael was inducted into the Holy Innocents’ Sports Hall of Fame for Basketball. In December of 2013, Michael graduated from Georgia State University with his Masters of Science in Marketing and Brand Management (MS) degree. In July of 2020 Michael earned his MAS certification from PPAI.
Michael’s volunteer service extends outside of his industry as well, as he served as the Chair of the Bridge Program of the Atlanta Business League (ABL). The ABL is Atlanta’s oldest business advocacy organization and the Bridge, comprised of young professionals under the age of 35 serves as the conduit (or Bridge) to meet with and learn from seasoned corporate executives from Fortune 500 and 100 companies, and successful Business owners in the Atlanta community. As a new initiative of the Bridge, Michael co-launched a formal Mentorship program and while in its infancy stage is proving to be beneficial to both Mentees and Mentors. Michael also serves as a mentor for Steve Harvey’s Manhood 101 program that serves underserved male high school students. He is also currently serving on the Holy Innocent’s Episcopal School Alumni Board for the sixth year and is the 2024 President elect.
Michael is married to his college sweetheart Erica Griffin, and they have two sons, Chase Griffin and Preston Griffin.