The company was founded by Charles Tombras Sr. in 1946, dbaCharles Tombras & Associates. By the 1960s, notable clients included the Tennessee Valley Authority and AAMCO Transmissions. Charles Tombras Jr. joined the firm in 1966 after he returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam, where he commanded a platoon in the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, was awarded the Bronze Star, Bronze Star for Valor, and Air Medal, and attained the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Tombras Jr. was commissioned after his graduation from the University of Tennessee, where he was enrolled as a Reserve Officers' Training Corpscadet. He remains a notable supporter of the university, having created the Charles Tombras Memorial Scholarship in the school's College of Communications & Information. His service to the university was recognized with the awarding of its 2013 Donald G. Hileman Alumni Award. When the senior Tombras retired in 1982, Charles Jr. took over as president, in 2018 he became chairman. Under his leadership, the Tombras Group has grown from 25 to over 300 employees. Charles Jr.'s son, Dooley Tombras, now represents the third-generation of Tombras family leadership, and in 2018 became president. In June 2017, Tombras Group created new Amazon division and hired marketplace ignition's Kevin Packler.
Since 2004 Tombras has launched annual campaigns for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration using the “Click It or Ticket” message. Additionally for NHTSA, Tombras developed the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign to combat impaired driving as well as the distracted driving campaign to communicate the dangers of distracted driving.
Working with McDonald's since 1972, Tombras is one of the chain's longest tenured agency partners. Tombras has developed notable national campaigns, including those for new product launches like Chicken McNuggets, Mickey D's Sweet Tea, and Scratch-Made Biscuits.
Recognition
June 2018 – Dooley Tombras was listed on the Adweek Creative 100.
February 2018 – Fast Company named The Tombras Group one of their Top 10 most innovative companies in Social Media.
July 2015 – Tombras Group won the Silver medal for National Agency of the Year for agencies with 76-150 employees at the 2015 Advertising Age Small Agency Awards.
