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People and Pop Culture

What I Like With Daktronics National Sales Manager Jay Parker

In our continuing series, SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal asks top sports personalities for their thoughts, ideas, aspirations and likes. Today, Daktronics National Sales Manager JAY PARKER.

What I Like...

An insight: You can't provide the best solution to a customer's challenge without first truly understanding their needs.

An influential person in my career: Dr. AL KURTENBACH, co-founder of Daktronics. He had the vision, saw the need and created an industry leader around serving customers.

An out-of-the-box idea: Need-based solutions created by Apple with their family of products. Staying connected for business and personal needs via social communications.

A timeless idea: Take nothing and no one for granted.

A sports facility: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Daktronics' first indoor "Super System" installation with a uniquely designed center-hung display that has been replicated throughout our industry.

A sports event: March Madness captures the country and dominates the sports pages. There are always David vs. Goliath matchups, buzzer-beater games and Cinderella stories.

A strategy: Relationships sell.

A hire
: The recent hire of URBAN MEYER. Can this move be a game-changer for the Ohio State University football program and the rest of the Big Ten Conference?

A brand: Nike and Under Armour.

A trend: Information on demand, at our fingertips. Fans want scores, statistics and video on demand. Mobile devices, LED, IPTV and control technologies make that possible.

An innovation: Smartphones. The power in the hand-held device is amazing and the future is unlimited. How will these devices influence the industry in the next 10 years?

A story that bears watching: The NBA (post-lockout).

An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: Performance-enhancing clothing (Under Armour/Nike).

A fantasy job
: A successful football coach.

What I Like About...

My job: I am a true sports fan. I enjoy all levels of sport. My job allows me to stay very connected to the sports industry and the sports page.

Sports: It's a reflection of real life: hard work, dedication, teamwork, discipline, accountability.

Sports business: It's always changing. Great companies continue to adapt and deliver new products and services to the market.

Sports media: The ability to stay in touch. Getting industry news almost immediately. Staying on top of specific developments that are important to our customers.

Sports technology: The integration of LED video, digital signage, scoring, stats, IPTV and control technologies in a truly integrated system, and the ability to paint or brand an entire facility with the touch of a button.

Competing: Makes you wake up and stay motivated.

Sports fans: Their passion and loyalty to their teams.

What I Would Like To...

Change in what I do: Ability to get away for some good quality quiet time.

See: The economy getting out of the slump it is in. We need people to get back to work and the economy growing again.

See more of in sports: Fans getting more access to the athletes and the ability of the family of four to afford attending events on a regular basis.

See more of in sports business: Another Olympic Games on U.S. soil.

See less of in sports: Tattoos, long hair and trash talking. Athletes are role models for the youth of today and need to set good examples.

See less of in sports business: Colleges in the headlines for rules violations. Let's all play by the rules ... no one is above the rules.

See different: Purchase decisions based on price alone.

What I Don't Like....

In general: I believe in the Golden Rule, but too many people believe it means "He who has the gold makes the rules."
 
Pet peeve: Excessive touchdown celebrations. Act like you've been there before.

In sports: Free agency. I grew up where players stayed with the same team for many years. I miss player and fan loyalty. I like fantasy sports, but where did the loyalty to the team go?

In business: Politics. There is too much of it in the world today. It often gets in the way of making sound business decisions.

About sports fans
: I love team loyalty, but all need to be respectful of visiting teams and their fans. Everyone should have fun at sporting events.

What I Like...

People: People who are class acts. People who are humble, reliable and dependable.

That would surprise those who know me: I am an "American Idol" fan. I cannot sing, but I really like professional karaoke.

Above all else: Family and friends are most important.

About myself: I strive for work-life balance and work hard to juggle the busy business world and still have time for my family.

Heroes: BEAR BRYANT, BUD GRANT, TOM LANDRY: Quality coaches who survived the test of time.

Players: WALTER PAYTON, JERRY RICE.

Teams: South Dakota State University Jackrabbits, and all teams and properties that have Daktronics equipment.

Cities: Denver, San Diego, Phoenix and Miami.

Possession: My boat. I love to be on the water on a hot sunny summer day.

Memento: Framed photo from opening night for the Minnesota Wild given to me by a couple very special friends.

Time of year: Fall, because the weather gets cooler and football season kicks off.

Music: '80s music and country.

Books: "Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will" and "How to Be Like Coach Wooden."

Authors: I follow JEFFREY GITOMER. He writes great selling books and articles.

Magazines
: Sports Illustrated, SportsBusiness Journal.

Website: ESPN.com.

Gadgets: iPad and iPhone, amazing technology.

iPad apps: Documents To Go, Keynote, TripIt.

Chores: Yardwork. Nice to get outside and enjoy the day.

Hobbies
: Boating, watching my children's events

Trips: Trips with family and friends watching my son play college football.

Movies: "The Bourne Identity."

TV: "SportsCenter" and "Suits."

Concerts: TIM MCGRAW, GARTH BROOKS.

Artist: TERRY REDLIN

Food: A great hamburger.

Dessert: Flaming bananas Foster. Wow, if done right, [it] is to die for!

Drink: A cold beer, especially at a great game or on a hot summer day.

Scent: The smell of great food.

Vacation spots: Hawaii and Huntington Beach, Calif.

Cars: Chevy Suburban, the all-purpose machine for living in the upper Midwest.

Singers: Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw.

Quote
: "Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard," and "You can't expect change if you keep doing the same thing."

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