Menu

June 4-5, 2018
San Francisco, CA

REGISTER
Back to Speaker Faculty

Rick Welts

President & COO, Golden State Warriors

Rick Welts

President & Chief Operating Officer

Golden State Warriors

One of the most respected business executives in the NBA, with over 40 years of experience in the league, Rick Welts is currently in his fifth season as president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors. In this role, he oversees all business-related operations for the Warriors, including the team’s proposed development of a privately financed sports and entertainment center in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, reporting to the organization’s Co-Managing Partners, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.

Under Welts’ direction, the organization has established several franchise benchmarks from a business standpoint in recent years, as the Warriors brand continues to grow in stature following Golden State’s 2014-15 NBA championship season. The organization has won numerous awards across all facets of the business in recent years, including in May 2014 when the Warriors were named “Sports Team of the Year” by the Sports Business Journal/Daily, with Welts accepting the award on behalf of the organization at the Seventh Annual Sports Business Awards in New York City.

Welts, 62, owns an impressive and all-encompassing résumé that includes a myriad of different capacities spanning virtually every level of an NBA operation. Prior to joining the Warriors in October 2011, he spent nine years with the Phoenix Suns, serving the organization as president and chief executive officer for the last two seasons. Welts’ responsibilities in Phoenix included the supervision of all business operations for the Suns, while also overseeing the team’s interest in the management of the US Airways Center and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury won the WNBA Championship in 2007 and 2009.

Prior to joining the Suns, Welts enjoyed a successful 17-year (1982-1999) stint at the NBA league office in New York, where he ascended through the ranks to eventually become the league’s third-in-command as the executive vice president, chief marketing officer and president of NBA Properties. In addition to his overall contributions to the revitalization of the league’s image and popularity, his notable accomplishments at the NBA include the creation of NBA All-Star Weekend in 1984 – a model that subsequently became a fixture in both MLB and the NHL – along with the creation of the marketing program for USA Basketball for the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team.” Along with Val Ackerman, Welts was named “Marketer of the Year” by Brandweek in 1998 for his role in launching the WNBA. During his time at the NBA office, he supervised a wide-range of departments, including corporate sponsorship and media sales, consumer products, international business activities, media relations, community relations, team services, special events and creative services. Welts also played a prominent role in the organization of preseason games in international cities and the eventual opening of international NBA offices in Australia, Asia, Europe, Mexico and Canada.

A native of Seattle, Washington, Welts began his NBA career in 1969, at the age of 16, as a ball boy with the Seattle SuperSonics. He spent 10 years with his hometown team serving a number of roles, including as the team’s director of public relations during back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals (1978 and 1979) and the SuperSonics’ lone NBA Championship in 1979. In 2006, he was the recipient of the annual Splaver/McHugh “Tribute to Excellence Award,” which is given annually by the NBA Public Relations Directors’ Association to a current or former member of the NBA PR family who has demonstrated an outstanding level of performance and service during their NBA career.

After leaving the SuperSonics, the University of Washington product spent the following three years (1980-1982) at Bob Walsh & Associates, a sports marketing firm in the Seattle area. His non-NBA résumé also includes serving as president of Fox Sports Enterprises (1999-2000).

In May of 2011, in a front page story in the New York Times, Welts became the highest ranking executive in men’s professional team sports to publicly acknowledge he is gay. He was presented with a United States Tennis Association 2011 ICON Award at the US Open in New York City, an award that recognizes and celebrates those who have had a positive impact on diversity and inclusion in the sports industry and society. In October 2011, he was honored with GLSEN’s (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) Respect Award, which honors those who have made a difference in the areas of diversity and inclusion. In September 2014, he was honored by GLAAD, the nation’s LGBT media advocacy organization, with the Davidson/Valentini Award, which is presented to an LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community. He also served as the celebrity Grand Marshall of San Francisco’s Pride Parade in 2015.

Welts currently serves as a board member of San Francisco Travel, the Bay Area Council and the Warriors Community Foundation. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Direct Elect Committee and the NBA’s Team Advisory Committee.

Tuesday, June 05

FEATURED INTERVIEW: JPMorgan Chase

Elevating the Live Experience for Fans. As professional sports stadiums and arenas create more sophisticated ways to entertain those in the stands, the sponsors who support those venues are making their own efforts to upgrade the fan experience. And offering high quality and unique customer benefits – not just on gameday, but the OTHER 200 nights a year - is a priority for JPMorgan Chase. In this session, JPMorgan Chase’s GM / Senior Vice President Sports & Entertainment Marketing Frank Nakano will discuss the company’s partnerships with MSG, the U.S. Open and the Golden State Warriors. He will share the ways Chase is enabling fans to experience their favorite teams in an elevated way. Golden State Warriors’ President and COO Rick Welts will join the discussion when Nakano discusses the company’s activation plans around the opening of the Chase Center.

Frank Nakano, Managing Director, Sports and Entertainment , JPMorgan Chase
Rick Welts, President & COO, Golden State Warriors
Moderator: Abraham Madkour, Executive Editor, SBJ / SBD