About the Author

Scott Landes is an entrepreneur, author, marketer, and lifelong seeker of stories that reveal how great brands are built. Over a 40-year career, he founded, grew, and sold two successful companies: Rhino Marking & Protection Systems and Excavation Safety Alliance, LLC, each rooted in innovation, problem-solving, and a commitment to public safety. His work has helped promote innovation in the damage prevention industry, earning him recognition as one of the industry’s most respected voices.

Scott has published more than 100 articles, delivered educational presentations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, Argentina, and Australia, and holds 10 patents on marking technologies that have influenced safety standards around the world. His leadership has been honored with the Common Ground Alliance Jim Barron Award, the Vistage Legacy Award, and continuing service as a Board Member for American Trails and the North American Private Utility Association.

Beyond entrepreneurship, Scott has always been fascinated how certain brands transcend commerce and become cultural forces. That curiosity led him to create the Global Excavation Safety Conference, co-found the Oceania Damage Prevention Conference, and launch long-running industry platforms including Excavation Safety Magazine, the Excavation Safety Guide (with more than ten million copies in circulation), as well as national public-awareness events like the 811 Run.

Jimmy Buffett: Brand Genius merges Scott’s entrepreneurial lens with his passion for marketing, storytelling, and the art of building an authentic lifestyle brand. Blending research, interviews, and personal narrative, he explores how Buffett created one of the most successful authentic lifestyle brands of all time, and what today’s creators, entrepreneurs, and marketers can learn from it.

Scott is publishing a second book in 2026, Holding Back Disaster, with co-author Benjamin Dierker. Holding Back Disaster highlights the overlooked heroes who protect our nation’s buried infrastructure. He continues to advise organizations, champion new ideas, and pursue his favorite pastimes, spending time with family, hiking, biking, exploring the world, and collecting stories that illuminate what makes a brand truly unforgettable.