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Sales vet Adamle reflects on long run at Intersport

There is little that the affable Mark Adamle hasn’t seen in sports marketing during his 27 years at Chicago-based Intersport, where the longtime industry veteran has played a key role in growing the media and marketing firm.

 

“There were 12 people here at Intersport when I got here and now there are 180,” said Adamle, reflecting on his career a week prior to his Dec. 16 retirement. “When I got here, it was pretty lean. I was head of sales, head of research, head of human resources. You did everything.”  

Mark Adamle worked with key brands such as Geico and Allstate during his 27 years at Intersport.Intersport

Adamle, 62, retires as president of sales at Intersport, where he has been a fixture since company founder Charlie Besser hired the former Purdue football player in 1992.

“Mark is part historian, part Yoda, and part head cheerleader,” said Intersport President Brian Graybill. “He has played all those roles. He has so much history. He is a great storyteller and he has a lot of wisdom about the media landscape and marketplace. He has consistently brought in large accounts that have taken big media positions and title positions on some of our most important accounts. We are well prepared but we will miss him deeply.”

The Adamle name is well known within sports as Mark and his older brother Mike, the former longtime Chicago sportscaster, have established deep connections throughout the industry.

During his nearly three decades at Intersport, Adamle has brought in a wide array of brands, including some of the biggest spenders in sports.

“There are so many franchises we have built and we have had some amazing runs,” Adamle said. “They are all special. We have worked with Geico and helped build their brand. We have been with Allstate for 20 years and we have helped the U.S. Marines build their marketing platform.”

Adamle’s success and long-standing tenure at Intersport is based on his ability to forge deep and lasting relationships.

“Every order is so critical to the growth of our company,” he said. “The $25,000 deal is just as important as the $1.5 million piece of business. It’s all about building relationships and telling your story. It doesn’t change. It is still built on your relationships with people and executing what you promised.”

While Adamle has negotiated deals at the top levels of corporate America, he laughs as he recalls a different era when he first joined Intersport after selling advertising for local television affiliates as well as for a then-nascent network called Fox.

“You picked up coaches at the airport and brought them to the city,” he said, recalling his early days at Intersport. “I remember picking up Jerry Tarkanian back during his UNLV days. I met him at the gate and said, ‘I’m Mark Adamle. Welcome to Chicago.’ He looks at me and says ‘Are you related to Tony Adamle?’ He knew my dad played football in high school. It is hilarious to think about what we did once upon a time.”

Today, Adamle sees a vastly different and far more sophisticated sports marketing business.

“The business has changed,” he said. “There is a lot more competition and there are a lot bigger brands and more analytics are involved in the process. But at the same time, there is more opportunity because there are more brands. You have to be very focused.”

Much of Adamle’s duties will be assumed by Ryan McSpadden, executive vice president of strategic partnerships for Intersport.

Adamle will spend winters on Marco Island, Fla., and plans to do nothing, at least for a while.

“For 27 years, you bust your butt,” he said. “Until recently, I’d never taken more than two weeks off. You just couldn’t when trying to build a business. There are not many 60-year-olds in this business. What I’m most proud of is just staying in the business and leaving on your own terms.”

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