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The city of Detroit "scored a major manufacturing win this week with automotive supplier Flex-N-Gate" -- which is owned by Jaguars Owner SHAHID KHAN -- committing to a $95M investment "in a failed industrial park that's sat vacant for nearly 15 years." Detroit Mayor MIKE DUGGAN said that the deal to "bring Flex-N-Gate to an impoverished, desolate part of the city came together in just six months," and happened in part because of the "personal involvement" of Lions Vice Chair BILL FORD. Duggan: "Bill Ford intervened on this personally. You had the advantage of a couple of NFL teams talking to each other" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 5/26).

KRAFT SHOW: In Philadelphia, Marc Narducci profiles Temple AD PAT KRAFT, a "shining star in the college world" and the only intercollegiate AD named to the Philadelphia Business Journal and SportsBusiness Journal/Daily's '16 Forty Under 40 classes. While football and men's basketball "drive the athletic train at Temple and many universities, Kraft said he is determined to build the entire 19-sport Temple athletic program." One of his early marks as AD "was reaching a 10-year contract extension in August with Under Armour," which sources said is worth $30M. Kraft also has "been integral in securing partnerships with Learfield Sports Properties, Learfield Licensing Partners and IMG/Learfield Ticket Solutions" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/26).

GIVING BACK: Thunder GM SAM PRESTI has finished the fifth year of his Forward Thinking Leadership Development Program for sophomores and juniors from three Oklahoma City high schools. Twenty students from each school "are selected" for the program. Presti "meets with each group of students from each school separately twice a year and ends the year with a program for all 60 at Chesapeake Energy Arena on a game day." This year it was before the Lakers-Thunder game April 11 (USA TODAY, 5/26).

POWER PLAY: ADWEEK has released its '16 list of Top 100 Leaders in Marketing, Media and Tech. Disney Chair & CEO BOB IGER came in at No. 4; Comcast Chair & CEO BRIAN ROBERTS landed the No. 6 spot; NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL came in at No. 11, followed by CBS Chair, President & CEO LES MOONVES at No. 12. Other sports figures on the list were Nike CEO MARK PARKER at No. 22; outgoing adidas Chair & CEO HERBERT HAINER at No. 49; Liberty Media Chair JOHN MALONE at No. 55; NBA Commissioner ADAM SILVER at No. 61; and Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK at No. 63 (ADWEEK, 5/23 issue)....FAST COMPANY released its "100 Most Creative People In Business," and FS1's KATIE NOLAN came in at No. 12. Other sports figures who earned recognition include Nike VP/Global Category & Creative Dir MARTIN LOTTI at No. 28 and NWHL Founder & Commissioner DANI RYLAN at No. 42 (FAST COMPANY, 6/'16 issue).

NAMES: Pegula Sports & Entertainment is "buying a rough-looking five-story brick industrial building across the street from the First Niagara Center." It is "not clear" what plans Sabres co-Owners KIM and TERRY PEGULA "may have for the facility" (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/26)....A Federal judge "will decide" whether Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON's lawsuit to remove his estranged family from ownership in both teams "should go to trial next month." Attorneys in the case yesterday argued in a hearing in front of U.S. District Judge JANE TRICHE MILAZZO "over whether the lawsuit should be thrown out before trial." Milazzo said that she would "issue a ruling later" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 5/26)....Texans DE J.J. WATT is co-hosting the '16 CMT Music Awards with Fox Sports' ERIN ANDREWS on June 8 in Nashville (CHRON.com, 5/25)....Packers WR TY MONTGOMERY and his mother LISA yesterday in Wisconsin helped "launch a statewide campaign to recruit badly needed foster parents" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/26).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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