After conducting a job search of nearly a year to find a successor for retiring Jim Awtrey, the PGA of America went in-house last October and named Joe Steranka as the second CEO in its history.
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| Joe Steranka’s long career in sports business includes
17 years with the PGA of America. He was named the
organization’s CEO in October. |
Steranka had been with the PGA of America for 17 years, most recently as the managing director of communications and broadcasting. Before that, Steranka had worked at ProServ, where he was in charge of creating public relations and marketing programs for athletes such as Michael Jordan and Jimmy Connors. Steranka also has worked in the marketing department of the Washington Bullets and was director of public relations for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Steranka sat down with correspondent Bob Seligman during last month’s PGA Merchandise Show & Convention in Orlando to discuss his vision for the PGA of America’s future.
Education: B.S., journalism, West Virginia University, 1979
Favorite vacation spot: Bethany Beach, Del.
Favorite piece of music: Anything by the Eagles
Favorite author: John D. MacDonald
Favorite movie: “Seabiscuit.” It pushed all the emotional buttons and demonstrated to a mass market why sports is the ultimate reality program.
Pet peeve: Redundancy. I can’t stand having to do things more than once.
Athlete you most enjoy watching: Tiger Woods. He has a unique will to win, even when he’s not at his best. His duel with Bob May at Valhalla [in 2000] is our era’s epic.
Last book read: “The World is Flat.” It shows we are definitely not alone.
Basic business philosophy: I’ve always looked for areas where our business objectives matched those of others because there aren’t too many things, even when you’re the PGA of America, that you can accomplish to their fullest extent without partners.
Business advice: Think global, act local.
Biggest challenge: Negotiating enough strokes to compete with our members.
Why did you want to become CEO of the PGA ofAmerica?
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| Tiger Woods “has a unique will to win, even
when he’s not at his best,” Steranka says. |
STERANKA:I felt I had the unique combination of the creativity and the knowledge of howto build and operate businesses. I was given the ability and the freedom at thePGA by Jim Awtrey and Paul Bogin [retiring COO of the PGA of America] and ourofficers to create virtually every new business venture the PGA came out with,whether it was interactive media or event merchandising. I helped to roll out aretirement plan for PGA members. Every new business venture was brought to meor I brought it to the PGA and said, “Here’s how I think we can structure thisas a business.” Oftentimes it was my job to lead the startup and then get itplaced in a certain part of the association so it could operate very well. Ilove playing that role.
What do you think about the state of the PGA ofAmerica?
STERANKA:We have a very important chance to make a huge impact on the game and thebusiness of golf. It’s rare that you have the combination of major, worldwideattention-grabbing events like the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship and agrassroots network of 28,000 people retailing your sport. David Stern is one ofmy heroes in terms of being a sports administrator, and he doesn’t have 28,000professional ambassadors selling basketball the way the PGA of America has themselling golf. Whether it’s the USGA, the PGA Tour, the LPGA or the NationalGolf Course Owners Association, they all realize the PGA of America can reallydrive the game and the business of golf. We’ve got a number of programs thathave a chance to do that.
With those programs, is that how you’re talkingabout having the chance to have a huge impact on golf?
STERANKA:Our education programs are designed to build on the playing and teaching skillsthat PGA members have and their people skills and give them more business andmarketing skills so that they understand how to convert customer relationshipsinto revenue generation and customer retention. Our education programs supportour members. Our employment services are some of the state-of-the-artemployment programs in the sports industry. The Play Golf America marketinginitiative that we’ve led has been tremendously successful. The new PGA PerformanceTrack research initiative is responding to what we’re all facing in businesstoday. It’s a much more data-driven management process. People want informationto be able to study trends to identify the next opportunity or manage the nextchallenge.
When you interviewed for the job of CEO, youspoke to the PGA board about your blueprint for the PGA of America for the next10 years. What is that blueprint?
STERANKA:What I laid out on Oct. 21 in the Chicago Airport Hilton to our board is adecade of excellence. There’s three principles. One is to maximize the value ofbeing a PGA member and use all of those programs I mentioned, and otherprograms, to improve the performance and employment opportunities for PGAmembers. The second was expanding our leadership in the industry. Leadershipcomes in the form of working with allied golf organizations and involving themin identifying some common objectives and then sharing our resources to helpthe USGA, PGA Tour, LPGA, Club Managers Association and golf coursesuperintendents and owners be more successful. Our shared success will helpdrive this industry. Leadership also comes in the form of increasing thediversity of the golf industry — growing both more participation andinvolvement in the profession and the business of golf of people of color andwomen. Leadership comes in being more global in our approach; sharing in theseindustry-leading services and education employment research and marketing withother PGAs around the world. Leadership also comes in focusing on theenvironment. The third thing is asset management and taking the PGAChampionship, Ryder Cup, our golf properties and merchandise shows and growingnew revenue streams in the future.
Is the PGA of America going to be involved indeveloping more golf courses?
STERANKA:Yes. There are a number of projects we’re talking about right now with partnersin different regions of the country.
How many do you have now?
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| Steranka said the PGA will be involved in
developing more golf courses. |
STERANKA:Coyote Springs, outside of Las Vegas, will be our third golf course project.We’ve got the PGA Village at Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Valhalla Golf Club [inLouisville, Ky.].
How many do you see the PGA of America eventuallydeveloping?
STERANKA:We’re in the start of our strategic planning on that. We’ve got acouple that we’re looking at in the near term.
Someone said of you “Joe will take the PGA ofAmerica way beyond where it’s gone.” What’s your reaction?
STERANKA:I agree. I’m very bullish on our opportunities. I’m very confidentwith our membership and the resources that we have that we can drive golf to awhole new level. As we drive the game then we’ll drive the PGA and we’ll drivePGA members along with it.
Look for more of this conversation in our sister publication, SportsBusiness Daily, located at www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.
