#BusinessBobcat Buzz Podcast

Ready to cheer on the OHIO Bobcats? Learn about #BobcatBlizzard, the Ohio University Sport Administration graduate program t-shirt initiative and how it impacts students readiness for a career in sport. Attend #BobcatBlizzard Basketball games on Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Convocation Center.

Ohio University graduate students talk about the steps involved in starting new business. #BusinessBobcat Buzz is a monthly podcast created for students at Ohio University's College of Business hosted by Marshall Payne.

This week we sit down with Dan Butterly, the Senior Associate Commissioner for the Mountain West Conference. Dan is a 2013 graduate of the inaugural Ohio University Professional MSA class, and since graduating has become an adjunct professor for the online program as well. In his role with the Mountain West, Dan oversees all external relations for the conference including marketing & sponsorships, championships, social media, media relations, and MW network as well as M&W basketball championships. We discuss the challenges that a group of five conference faces compared to the larger big five conferences, as well as how they create revenue through media deals and capitalizing on national successes. Dan discusses what it was like going back to school 20 years after graduating undergrad, as well as what his tips on how to separate your resume from the rest of the pile.

Travis & Brett sit down with Eddie Kendralla, senior analytics manager for the Phoenix Suns. Eddie’s job covers everything on the analytics side of things from player ops to concessions and merchandising. He talks about some of his duties and his analytics team’s role in things like ticket pricing and the allocating of resources. Which games are trending? How many tickets have been sold compared to the average? Where do we allocate our resources in order to get the greatest return? These are all questions that Eddie and his team are tasked to answer in order to help the organization run effectively. A 2012 graduate of the Ohio Sports Administration program, Eddie talks about internships and specifically a project in the Revenue Generation class that helped guide him to where he’s at today.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Ohio Sports Administration Podcast: 50 Years in the Making. We sit down with Mike Hargrave, the Chief Marketing Officer for Richard Petty Motor Sports. Mike has 30+ years of marketing experience on the team and brand side, across many different facets from media buying to corporate sales.

Tom Symonds (MSA '14) has seen it all in sports communications, having stops at the Detroit Lions, the Big East Conference, the Horizon League, and University of Rhode Island before his time in Athens. Now as the primary media relations contact for Miami football, he's telling the story of one of the most storied programs in college sports. He even managed to become a viral hit along the way

This week we're joined by Brent Schoeb, who at the time of this interview was the Director of Corporate Partnerships for the San Fransisco 49ers, has since been promoted to the Vice President for Corporate Partnerships with the same organization. Brent is a 2006 graduate of Ohio’s Sports Administration program and has had stops with the Memphis Grizzlies as well as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We discuss how the 49ers moved from a traditional approach with sponsorships to a “less is more” model that cut their partnering companies in half and propelled them near the top of the league in revenue.

Now that school is back in session and student athletes are back on campus, we felt it would be a great time to include Danny White, the Director of Athletics and 2005 graduate of Ohio University's Sports Administration program. Danny talks about what it was like growing up in college athletics and how he decided on going into administration over coaching. He also discusses how tackling different challenges at different universities throughout his career has prepared him to be an AD at such a young age. After starting at UCF in mid November 2015, one of his first challenges was hiring a new football coach after the end of a 10 year run by coach George O’Leary that saw four conference titles, which was culminated by an 0-12 finish in 2015. Danny’s explains how his time at Ohio set him on the path for success and helped him realize what his goals were and what he had to do to achieve them.

To get in the swing of football season a few weeks back we had Chad Estes from the Cowboys on to talk about his role overseeing business development for an NFL team. Similarly, this week we welcome a more recent graduate in Sean Othen, the Corporate Partnerships Sales Manager with the Cleveland Browns. Sean is a 2008 graduate of Ohio University’s undergraduate sports management program, as well as a 2011 graduate of the dual masters program. In the interview, Sean talks about some of his favorite partnerships he’s sold and activated throughout his career as well as what it’s like to be in corporate partnerships for an NFL team. After spending some time with International Speedway Corporation prior to coming to Cleveland, Sean also discusses some of the key differences between racing and football partnerships. Having graduated from both undergrad and graduate school at Ohio, Sean talks about what he gained from his time in the College of Business as well as the Schey Sales Center.

In this interview we spoke to Amy Dean, MSA Class of 1986. Amy took a unique path to college athletics, spending some years directing sports programs at military installations. Since joining the Ohio Athletic Department in 1999, Dean has been involved in the development of the following policies and procedures which currently play an important role in day-to-day operation of the athletic department: Ohio's gender equity plan, Ohio's strategic plan, Ohio's vision and mission statements, Ohio's student-athlete code of conduct, and Ohio's facilities master plan. Additionally, she was recently elevated to Deputy Athletic Director.

Martin, founder and President of Gallagher Sports, talks about the process of starting his own business and how the company seeks to be a international problem solver in the industry.

As kids head back to school and the Olympics wind down, most people are eager to get the NFL season underway here in a few weeks. In honor of the beginning of the 2016 season, we welcome Chad Estis (’94) the Executive Vice President of the Dallas Cowboys and president of Legends Global Sales. Chad talks about what it was like opening AT&T Stadium, the first stadium to finance it’s premium seats licenses, during the market crash of 2008. He also breaks down his career path and how he’s climbed the ladder from inside sales with the Cleveland Cavaliers to running the business operations of one of the most famous sports brands in the world. We discuss his role with Legends, and he explains the thinking behind the Cowboys’ new “Star” practice complex opening up in Frisco.

Cristine Paull, MSA Class of 1995, has been a part of some of the largest sporting events in North America over her career. After getting her start with the Atlanta Olympic Games, she has moved on to working Super Bowls, the Daytona 500, the College Football Playoff, and so much more as the Vice President of SP+ Gameday. In this interview, we talk to Cristine about her journey into the event management segment of the industry, as well her big city perspective on experiencing Athens, OH.

Colin Gabler, assistant professor of marketing and Freeman Fellow has conducted extensive research on the overlap between sustainability and business strategy. Listen as he describes challenges in the field and shares how he incorporates marketing sustainability into the classroom.

This week we welcome Joe Bertoletti ('16), Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations at College of the Holy Cross. At Holy Cross, Joe oversees sales, revenue generation, external communications, corporate partnerships, and marketing. Prior to coming to HC in 2014, Joe was Associate Athletics Director for Development at Maryland. Joe has quite the plethora of experiences at both public and privates schools, which range from one of the largest schools in Division I in University of Central Florida to one of the smallest schools in College of the Holy Cross. Joe talks about the art of relationship building and what it takes to be successful in sales and business development no matter what the circumstances. Joe is a 2016 graduate of Ohio’s Professional Master of Sports Administration online degree that is one of the first and best of it’s kind. Joe discusses with us what it’s like to go back to school after years of working in the industry and what Ohio’s program has done for him and his career.

Paul Kruger, MSA Class of 2010 has worked with the Texas Rangers Player Development programs since graduating from Ohio University. He was recently promoted to Assistant Director of Player Development. In this interview, Paul discusses the many challenges and opportunities of his role, including: international travel, language barriers, and preparing players for the big leagues.

This week we're joined by Mike Millay, class of 1988 and Managing Partner of Clancy’s Sports Properties. Mike has built a career surrounding youth sports and non profit sports organizations in communities around the southeast. Mike was one of the first people hired in the mid 90s to help organize, build, and operate Disney’s Wild World of sports and is recognized as one of the people to take it from an idea to the brand it is today. After 20 years of working with Disney, Mike became an entrepreneur with Clancy’s Sports Properties in Orlando which focuses on strategic planning, organizational design, and revenue optimization specializing in sports tourism and not for profit sports organizations. He touches on the importance of having a vision and utilizing your strengths as you progress through your career.

As Nike has become an inexorable part of many athletes and sports events, it has also become one of the biggest brands in the world. With that comes a set of challenges and opportunities within the company. Dr. Victoria Trapp is a Global Transition Manager for Nike Technology, and in this episode she discusses how to handle change management in a firm that is always growing.

Len is the CEO & owner of Turnkey sports, an executive search and sports intelligence firm he founded in 1996. A 1990 graduate of Ohio University’s sports ad program, he’s also a recipient of the Charles R Higgins Distinguished Alumni award. Some of their higher profile accounts Turnkey has handled include hiring the new athletic director at University of Michigan & Minnesota amongst others. Len talks with us about the thought process behind searching for the highest executives in sports and entertainment, and offers his opinion on what he thinks is the next industry shifting technology. Len came to Ohio after already receiving his JD and practicing law for a few years, and offers a unique point of view on the sports world as one of the first entrepreneurs of his kind. Len is an example of someone who changed careers to work in this industry and never turned his attention away from the ultimate goal of owning a business in the sports world.

In this episode, Hailey Spivak, '17 reflects on the speech she delivered at the first annual Schey Talks, sponsored by The Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre this spring. Modeled after TED Talks, the event featured 11 student speaker, garnered more than 200 attendees, and raised more than $5,000 for the Athens County Food Pantry.