The Golden Knights yesterday hired Buccaneers CMO BRIAN KILLINGSWORTH as Senior VP & CMO, moving "quickly to fill the No. 2 vacancy" on the team's business side, according to Steve Carp of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Killingsworth, 40, will be responsible for coordinating the Golden Knights’ marketing as well as assisting Owner BILL FOLEY in some of his other business ventures, including "cross-promoting Foley’s domestic wineries and his Rock Creek resort properties in Montana and Idaho." Killingsworth also "spent 10 years working" with the Rays in marketing and promotions. Foley said, "We talked to three or four people but he really resonated with me." Killingsworth, who is already on the job, replaces NEHME ABOUZEID, who "resigned his position at the end of June after eight months." Abouzeid has "launched his own consulting firm to help start-up companies market and brand themselves." Killingsworth: "Las Vegas has shown it is hockey-ready. This market is a lot deeper than I thought it was and we have a chance to do some exciting things" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/27). In Las Vegas, Jesse Granger notes Killingsworth’s 15 years of experience "building brands for professional sports teams in Florida should be a solid foundation for helping launch the Golden Knights." Killingsworth said, "There are a lot of comparable things in those markets. Tampa is a transplant town, similar to Las Vegas." As an expansion team, the Golden Knights may "struggle in the early years." Killingsworth: "You can’t control what happens on the ice, but you can make it a world-class entertainment experience for everyone in attendance, and that’s what I’ll be focused on" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/27). Killingsworth: "It’s a marketer’s dream to launch a franchise brand from scratch. You get one chance" (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 7/26).
