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Huizenga Resigning From AutoNation
And Republic Services BODs |
BORED MEMBER: In Miami, Patrick Danner reports Dolphins Owner WAYNE HUIZENGA is resigning as a BOD member at Fort-Lauderdale-based AutoNation and Republic Services, two Fortune 1000 companies he helped found. Huizenga remains one of AutoNation's largest shareholders with about 11.6 million shares, or 4.2% of the company's outstanding shares. Huizenga: "It's just a stage in my life where I don't want to be spending my time in board meetings all day." Huizenga will continue as Chair & CEO of Boca Raton-based Boca Resorts, but his "nearly nine-year run as" SC-based Extended Stay America Chair is set to end "once a sale of the company is completed later this quarter" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/15).
THE ROAD TO WILLIAMSPORT: PBS last night aired its documentary, "SMALL BALL: A LITTLE LEAGUE STORY," which chronicled the Aptos, California, Little League Team's berth the '02 LLWS. Narrator & Dir ANDY KOLKER: "To motivate the kids on their day off, (former MLBer and Aptos assistant coach) MARK EICHHORN has arranged for them to take some batting practice at one of his old stomping grounds," including Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Head coach DAVE ANDERSON, on the Aptos players filming an ESPN promo for the LLWS West Regional: "My guess would be that most of the kids are more excited about being on ESPN than they are the reality of what Williamsport is all about" (PBS, 4/14).
TENNIS TALK: The FRENCH OPEN will offer more prize money than last year, but women will "still take home less than men". The event will distribute approximately $16M in prize money, with the men's champion taking home $1.02M, while the women's champion will receive $998,000 (AP, 4/14)....Belgian publisher STANDAARD UITGEVERIJ is "producing a comic book called KIM starring" No. 2 ranked WTA Tour player KIM CLIJSTERS, which will debut this spring. Clijsters' Web site noted her English bulldog BEAUTY — "not her fiance, LLEYTON HEWITT — `will also get a major part'" (TENNIS Magazine, 5/'04 issue).
YOUNG GUNS: Under Armour President & Founder KEVIN PLANK and EA Senior VP/Marketing for North America FRANK GIBEAU are among the ten execs under the age of 40 listed in BRANDWEEK's '04 MARKETERS OF THE NEXT GENERATION (BRANDWEEK, 4/12 issue).
