VINCE THOMPSON
CEO, Melt
To continue the Golden Rule of the sports marketing business: The client is
always right. But, seriously, resolve to always be thankful for our clients,
their business and the opportunities they create and to resolve to always
remember to thank them for their business.
To help my great friends and clients at ESPN with a successful launch of the
new SEC Network this August. And I would further resolve to help my friend
Paul Finebaum continue to be national force as the Voice of the SEC.
KELLY SWANSON
President, Swanson Communications
Business: Now that we have offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City,
which we opened in 2013, I would like to expand my business and offer our
marketing and PR services to more sports entities, athletes and corporate
sponsors. If we can do it for boxing, we can do it for other sports, too.
Personal: To continue to be a kind and fair person, always working to
recognize, appreciate and respect my colleagues, friends and family. When my
life is balanced with happiness and the support of those around me who have
my best interest at heart, I am a stronger and better businesswoman.
DAVID SCHWAB
Managing Director, Octagon First Call
Business: Don’t settle for what is in front of you. Strive to create more.
Personal: Family time is family time. Do not cheat it.
BETSY GRIDER
Senior Director of Strategic Development, NASCAR
Business: Capitalize on the momentum of NASCAR’s Industry Action Plan with
sustained energy to drive growth across the sport while launching our new
Technology Development and Integration team and game plan for a collective
approach to innovation.
Personal: Take a moment each and every morning to deeply appreciate a
blessed life. A partnership with a rock-solid husband and the opportunity to
work for an incredible company empower me to love both my baby and my job
every day.
FRANK VUONO
Partner and Toll Collector, 16W Marketing
Business: Survive Super Bowl XLVIII in our backyard. Going to need long recovery period.
Personal: Fill in all missing local pegs in Top 100 Golf Course board with partner Steve Rosner and friends.
JOHN STEPHENSON JR.
President and CEO, College Football Hall of Fame
Business: Work so that, at the end of 2014, when we look back on establishing the amazing new attraction that will be the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, our team can confidently say that we did everything possible to exceed college football fans’ expectations.
Personal: Have at least one family a month over to cook out with our family. It’s amazing how fast time can pass without spending time with friends if you aren’t intentional about it.
STEVE SCHANWALD
Executive vice president for business operations, Chicago Bulls
I’d like to live a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise. To worry less, knowing that life is great, but understanding that expecting perfection in one’s life consigns one to a life of many disappointments. To do a better job of accepting that because the goal line keeps changing it can never be reached and that happiness is a predictor and precursor of success, not a result of it. To share my many blessings with others and have a positive impact on as many lives as possible knowing that true happiness only exists when shared. Finally, to get my handicap into single digits!
BILL SQUADRON
Head of Bloomberg Sports
1. To stop yelling at the refs at my son’s high school basketball games. 2. To eat less ice cream. 3. To be more patient (I make that one every year and it never works …).
JEFF URBAN
Co-founder and chief marketing officer, The Whistle
1. Keep the mojo going with the growth and success of The Whistle.
2. Make James Madison University a household name.
STEVE ROBINSON
Chief marketing officer, Chick-fil-A
Business: To do all I can to serve and support the Chick-fil-A Bowl staff, the College Football Hall of Fame staff — as well as our corporate staff and restaurant operators — as we continue to expand Chick-fil-A’s role in the ever-evolving landscape of college athletics. This truly is an exciting time to be a part of college football!
Personal: I look forward to enjoying my family as they grow in their faith and watching our four grandchildren develop terrific personalities.
TODD SERMERSHEIM
Vice president of sales and NFL contract adviser, Relativity Sports
Business: To stay on top of my expense reports by doing them during each business trip.
Personal: To stay off my phone/email during dinner with my family.
DAN BELMONT
President, The Marketing Arm
Business: At TMA, we share the same resolution each year, and that’s to identify those areas where we can be a little better. A better place to work. A better agency to do business with. Better work. Whatever it is. The resolution is to be 20 percent better at those things by the end of the year.
Personal: Last year at this time, with my 50th birthday looming, I made a resolution to be in the best shape of my life. For 2014, my resolution is to not make that a one-year commitment. Beyond that, it’s about being a better father, grandfather, husband and son.
DALE KOGER
Vice president and general manager, Turner Construction
Work smarter, laugh harder, love every day.
LESA FRANCE KENNEDY
Chief executive officer and vice chairperson of the board, International Speedway Corp.
Business: 2014 is all about connecting … from connecting steel at Daytona Rising, to providing unforgettable experiences by connecting more closely with our longtime loyal fans and our younger technology-savvy fans.
Personal: Just like everyone else who hits the gym on Jan. 1 … get in better shape.
CHRIS McGOWAN
President and CEO, Portland Trail Blazers
Business: Launch a Fan Council Advisory Board made up of various Trail Blazers fans to seek good feedback and direction.
Personal: Take more time with my family to explore all the great areas in Oregon we have yet to see.
MICHAEL JAQUET
Chief marketing officer, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
Business: My resolution is to leave no stone unturned in maximizing our Olympic success. This goal comes only once every four years, so I have to nail it! We need to make sure our fans feel invested in our athletes’ journey to their Olympic dreams.
Personal: I need to get back to Alaska and into a helicopter. It’s been two seasons now (having gone for 12 straight), and those mountains and that powder are therapeutic.
CHARLES BLOOM
Senior associate athletic director for external affairs, University of South Carolina
To continue to advocate for the benefits of intercollegiate athletics — for our student athletes, for young children who aspire to take part in it and for our society. We need a comprehensive effort, including schools, conferences, associations and the NCAA, to convey the message. And, finally, to become a better person, husband and father.
BOB BASCHE
Principal, Connect Sports & Entertainment
To stop using so much effort on constant list making but to focus on getting the top three subjects on the list done each day.
BERNARD HOPKINS
Boxing champion
Business: To continue to grow Golden Boy Promotions as a company and a brand by signing top-level talent, particularly on the East Coast.
Personal: To stay healthy and retain my title and record-breaking accomplishments.
BRIAN BYRNES
Senior vice president of sales and marketing, Oklahoma City Thunder
Even as we continue to embrace data-driven tools and technology in order to learn about consumer behavior and guide strategy, we need to remember we are in the people business. Fostering a genuine and meaningful relationship with our season ticket members and business partners is central to our mission of developing a sustainable business, no matter how much “big data” we are able to capture.
SARAH HIRSHLAND
Senior managing director of business affairs, U.S. Golf Association
Business: I hope that we align our energy and resources with golf’s other leading organizations to drive demonstrable impact to existing and new golfers.
Personal: To make the time for golf lessons. I love to play, but without lessons it is really hard to improve.
DEREK EILER
Partner, Fermata Partners
We’re now heading into our third year as entrepreneurs, so my personal and professional goals are deeply intertwined. To stay focused and remain balanced are the biggest keys to success in both areas. Keeping healthy, being laser focused, and dedicating time for family (while disconnected) are the top priorities for this year.
HEATHER BROOKS KARATZ
Vice president of legal, Relativity Sports
Business: Continuing to build the Relativity Sports athlete representation and management business, while also expanding the company’s reach into other areas of the sports industry.
Personal: Find more time to volunteer for charitable organizations and get out on the golf course.
SAL GALATIOTO
President, Galatioto Sports Partners
After getting over a major bump in the road in 2013, I would like to give back more to my alma mater and to increase my charitable giving. I also intend to go back to teaching, which is one of the things I greatly enjoy.
