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SBJ/October 10-16, 2011/Game Changers
Game Changers: Paula Yancey
Published October 10, 2011, Page 40A
Yancey escapes from the facilities biz at the family’s property in Iowa.
Paula Yancey
PC SportsPresident/Majority Owner
Paula Yancey, over the past 12 years, has served as an owner’s representative for developing AT&T Center, FedEx Forum, Sprint Center, KFC Yum! Center, and her latest project, the $168 million Haymarket Arena under construction in Lincoln, Neb. Yancey works with the arena designers, builders, engineers and subcontractors to ensure the facilities are completed on time and on budget. It was 18 years ago when she joined Project Control in San Antonio, parent company of PC Sports, in a marketing and administrative support role. Six years later, she was working on the NBA Spurs’ arena after the club hired the company’s PC Sports group to represent its interests. And earlier this year, Yancey bought 51 percent of Project Control, giving her majority ownership of the overall venture along with her continued involvement with its sports group.
- Crowning professional achievement: Opening the KFC Yum! Center one month early.
- What is the best advice you’ve ever received?: That I wasn’t irreplaceable.
- In 10 words or less, how would you describe your management style?: Tough, fair; expect dedication from everyone on a project.
- Woman in sports business you’d most like to meet: Lesa France Kennedy. She has such great composure and fortitude to be where she is and have faced such adversity.
- The biggest challenge I face working in the sports business is …: Garnering respect at the start of a project.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
“If you don’t have people like Paula, there is a huge disconnect between the architect and the guy out there swinging a hammer. She knows when to have a smile on her face and when to go toe-to-toe with you.”
- John Sparks, general manager of Barclays Center, former general manager at AT&T Center
