Name: Jeff Dunn
Position: Seahawks VP/Business Strategy & Analytics
Age: 35
Where I’m from: Manassas, Va.
Where I call home: Mercer Island, Wash.
Focusing on right now: Capitalizing on unprecedented demand for the Seahawks.
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Dunn and his family unwind by playing in weekly
recreational sports leagues |
Best advice: To visualize success. Whether I’m preparing for an important presentation or project, I always create a vision in my mind of what it looks like to be successful. That helps me be prepared and helps me make key decisions over time.
A must for a new hire: People who are passionate about the field or industry. People are most successful and effective when they’re happy in their job or career. I seek people who get excited and passionate when they start talking about the industry or job that they would be doing.
Exec I admire the most: Our team Owner PAUL ALLEN. He’s an amazing visionary and what’s so impressive to me is that he’s so passionate and knowledgeable about so many different topics -- technology, sports, music, space exploration, Africa and all his philanthropic causes. He’s been very active in the fight with Ebola and increasing awareness and funding.
Best book I’ve read this year: I’m a trustee with the regional Make-A-Wish chapter here, and there’s a book “Wish Granted.” This book is a collection of stories from professional athletes that shows how they were affected and the impact it had on them to fulfill these wishes for kids and their families. What I love about sports is that community and charity aspect that sports provides that window into. That book kind of connects that for me.
First thing in the morning: Other than spending time with the kids -- I have a 4-year-old and 6-year-old -- and family at home, at work it’s getting up to speed on any of the news of the day. I’ll usually scroll through Twitter and catch up on the news that happened during the night. I’m not a newspaper guy -- usually catch all my news online.
Talking tech: I don’t tweet, but try and follow all the sports business writers, all the national NFL guys as well as the local Seahawks writers to keep in tune with the market.
Must have music: I spend a lot of time with my two kids in the car and they like singing along to THE BEATLES. I’m also a big PEARL JAM, NIRVANA guy. Having now moved to Seattle, the birthplace of all that, I guess that makes sense.
Food for thought: We love to go out and find some great barbecue. Surprisingly, there are some really good barbecue places in Seattle.
How I unwind: Everyone in the family kind of has their weekly sports. I play in a flag football league every Saturday and my wife plays in a soccer league. The kids have several sports they’re involved with. My son plays flag football and my daughter plays soccer and does gymnastics.
Day in the life: There are some teams that are making good progress in analytics, but overall, there are some teams that are behind. We’re taking a very patient and deliberate approach to analytics, especially when it comes to ways to collect data from our fans. The Seahawks, like a lot of teams and a lot of leagues, don’t really yet have all the data we need to fully optimize revenue and the fan experience. But when we go out to find ways to get that data, whether it’s a loyalty program or some sort of point of sale approach, we want to do it right the first time.
