harris blitzer sports & entertainment
The Philadelphia 76ers are thriving on the hardwood this season, in third place in the Eastern Conference last week. Thanks in part to the efforts of Jake Reynolds, the team’s off-court business is among the envy of the league.
Chief Revenue Officer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Age: 35
Born: Salt Lake City
Education: Utah Valley University, B.S.
Family: Wife, Emily; children, Makenzie (9), Katelyn (6), Harper (3)
Guilty pleasure: I’m a sneakerhead. I have over 80 pairs and my wife is ready to give them all away.
Something your friends would consider “so you”: Stacking my team to win the HBSE company basketball tournament.
Could not go a day without: Talking with my wife and three girls.
Esports or video games played: Either Wii with my kids or “NBA 2K” and “FIFA” with Brian Norman (VP at the Devils).
Gamer name: TheKid24.
Cause supported: Project 76, HBSE’s community commitment program where each employee pledges to serve 76 hours of service each year.
Person in the industry you’d most like to meet: Phil Knight.
Sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Elevating more women into positions of leadership.
Reynolds has been at the helm as ticket sales for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment’s Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils have skyrocketed. The Sixers have moved from a full-season-ticket base of 3,600 a few years ago to over 14,000 today, with 12,000 more fans on a waiting list. New season-ticket sales last year at the Devils ranked in the top five in the NHL, with growth up about 135 percent.
The Sixers’ on-court success makes selling easier, but Reynolds and his staff were fully prepared to take advantage with a system designed to drive sales when the team ascended to the playoffs over the past few seasons.
“We have grown the business significantly, but we were fully able to capitalize,” he said. “We had the people in place and the culture in place.”
Reynolds grew up in sports. He is the youngest of five siblings and was a standout basketball player in high school. He played one year on the basketball team at Utah Valley University, but developed his interest in the business side of the sport during an Indiana Pacers internship in his junior year. This led to a full-time job with the Pacers after earning his degree in 2005.
Reynolds joined HBSE in 2014 after working in sales for Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the New York Giants. He oversees a staff of about 250 among all HBSE properties.
“I wanted to build something that was world class and in an environment where people sprint to work and know they are going to be challenged,” Reynolds said. “The opportunity to build the culture has been incredible.”
