Welcome to Episode 29 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring J.D. Kershaw, Vice President of Marketing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Today's podcast combines a little of everything from our last few episodes: J.D. was a former hockey player who learned quickly that he wanted to move to the business side of the sport. One of my favorite parts of the conversation was about this transition; since he was still in shape and a strong player, he would work out with the San Jose Sharks - the club that offered him his first off-ice role - and he said that he was immediately pegged as a "hockey guy." J.D. was more interested in the business side than "hockey ops," however, so he had to make a conscious effort not to pigeon-hole himself early in his career. After a later stint with NHL Europe overseas, J.D. - via an assist from his wife! - relocated to the U.S. to help launch the Columbus Blue Jackets. He hasn't looked back since. It was great to hear about Columbus the city, and how it surprises and impresses the national media and visitors every chance it gets (All-Star Game, NHL Draft, etc.). J.D. was a blast, and his insight into marketing a team without a consistent tradition of winning (yet!) and in a smaller, non-traditional hockey market was fascinating. Big thanks both to J.D. and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Front Office Exchange

Episode 29: J.D. Kershaw, Vice President, Marketing, Columbus Blue Jackets

Welcome to Episode 28 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Josh Brickman, Vice President of Strategy for the Boston Bruins and TD Garden. I met Josh through Russ Scibetti, and if you listened to the latter on Episode 21, then you know what to expect here: Josh is super bright, and the Bruins and TD Garden are clearly in good hands with him as it relates to their business intelligence and strategic marketing efforts. Josh is not even five months into his role there, so we discussed his relocation to Boston and what makes that city not only special but also different from his previous stops. He talks about his early career with Turnkey Sports & Entertainment, which equipped him with broad-based sports business strategy and research experience that he leveraged later in his career with Monumental Sports & Entertainment in Washington, D.C., and now in Boston as well. Big thanks both to Josh and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 28: Josh Brickman, Vice President, Strategy, Boston Bruins & TD Garden

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Jarrod Dillon, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jarrod was a referral from previous guest Doug Warf, and he's nearing his two-year anniversary with the Lightning. I tell him a story of a recent trip of mine to Tampa, where in meeting with several sports business executives in the area, they all raved at the Lightning organization, both on the ice and off. Jarrod acknowledges that on-ice success definitely doesn't hurt, but he also discusses how the Lightning's strong front office leadership has bred a team-wide winning culture. Jarrod was previously a west-coaster, so he chats about his family's move east, and with stops at the Raiders, Padres, San Francisco Giants and in minor league baseball, he offers a unique all-sports, all-leagues perspective on careers, advice and much more. Big thanks both to Jarrod and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 27: Jarrod Dillon, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Tampa Bay Lightning

Welcome to Episode 26 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Malaika Underwood, Vice President of Licensing for The Brandr Group, and six-time USA Baseball alum. Much like our previous podcast with Casey Crawford, this episode features a star athlete, but what makes Malaika unique is that she's still an active player. She walks through her career on the field and off, and discusses the unique work she's doing for Brandr. On the personal side, Malaika and her husband are set to relocate from Atlanta to the Jacksonville, Florida-area soon, as her responsibilities at Brandr have grown. As a former USA Baseball employee, I did my best to not talk too much red, white and blue, but Malaika said her experience with Team USA has helped make her successful in what has become a progressive career in sports business. She's a Tar Heel as well, so there may or may not be several shameless Carolina plugs here as well. Hopefully I haven't lost most of my listeners at this point! Big thanks both to Malaika and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 26: Malaika Underwood, Vice President, Licensing, The Brandr Group

Welcome to Episode 25 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Casey Crawford, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Movement Mortgage. Yes, you heard that right. I'm interviewing the head of a mortgage company for this episode. Casey's background is unique, however, as he is a former NFL tight end, having spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and winning a Super Bowl ring in 2003 with the latter. Upon retiring, Casey entered the mortgage and real estate business, and over the last 10-plus years, he's grown Movement into one of the fastest-growing private mortgage companies in the country with a perennial listing in the Inc. 5000. On top of that, today - Feb. 1 - marks my first day with the company; I'm joining Movement as its new Vice President of Content and Social Strategy. He's also my brother-in-law, so yes, this episode is a little unique. We talk about my role at Movement - and don't worry, I have plans to continue this podcast! - but my main focus is on Casey's career and thoughts in general about the challenges many professional athletes face when their playing careers end and they look to transition to a new career. Big thanks both to Casey and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 25: Casey Crawford, CEO, Movement Mortgage & 2003 Super Bowl Champion

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Corey Breton, Executive Vice President of Sales for the Los Angeles Football Club, an MLS expansion team which is set to begin play in 2018. Thank you for the thousands of emails and comments about when I will finally bring on someone from professional soccer. Your voices have been heard. OK, maybe it wasn't that dramatic, but I was excited to bring someone on from that sport. Corey's in a unique "hurry up and wait" type of situation in L.A., while they work on building a stadium and launching a team, and since he joined the club last year, L.A. has added not one but TWO NFL teams. Corey talks about that increase in ticket-buyer competition and much more over the course of our conversation. He was FULL of great advice, with a couple of things standing out to me: 1. Render more services than your paycheck calls for, and 2. If you focus too much on the next step, it never comes - put blinders on and do great work now. He shared what it was like to move his family to the west coast as well, after an earlier career that saw him spend much of his time in the southeast and midwest. Big thanks both to Corey and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 24: Corey Breton, Executive Vice President, Sales, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC)

Welcome to Episode 23 of the Front Office Exchange podcast where we're trying out something new - a first installment of a career advice compilation episode. In this show I'll revisit four of my favorite pieces of advice from past guests, all of which I think are applicable whether you're in the sports business industry or not, or whether you're a senior executive or recent graduate. For a complete list of advice that has been shared on the podcast to-date, please visit www.frontofficeexchange.com. Thank you for listening and for your continued support of the pocast! For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 23: Career Advice 1.0

Welcome to Episode 22 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Ken Halpin, Athletics Director for Winthrop University, a public school in Rock Hill, S.C., which is just south of Charlotte, and a member of the Big South Conference. So, what were you doing in sports business in your mid-30s? That's what I kept asking myself when talking to Ken, Winthrop's new AD as of last summer. He's a PhD with an early career outside of sports business, and he's hit the ground running here in the greater Charlotte area with Winthrop. I was referred to Ken by past guest Troy Kirby, and he was as-advertised: super impressive and a clear rising star in the industry. Ken discussed what it was like for him - both personally and professionally - to move his family from the west to east coast while giving a unique look into what the first six months are like for a new and first-time AD. He could not stress the importance of his PhD enough, and said that learning the value of revenue generation early on in his career has helped him immensely as he's progressed. One piece of advice he was given by a mentor that shared related back to his graduate degree, and the doubts he had when considering enrolling. "Stop thinking about how smart you are or aren't," the mentor said. "It's about persistence and how hard you will work." I think that's something we can all appreciate. Big thanks both to Ken and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 22: Ken Halpin, Athletics Director, Winthrop University

Aaaannnnd we're back! Welcome to Episode 21 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Russ Scibetti, Vice President of Product Strategy for KORE Software. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season first and foremost, and that you're as excited as I am about getting 2017 started on the right foot. With that in mind, I think we've got the perfect podcast to kick things off in a big way. Russ is very well known in sports business circles, not only through his work with the New York Jets and KORE, but also through his 8+ years running TheBusinessofSports.com. He's very active on Twitter and in general is considered a #sportsbiz thought leader. Russ's career is fascinating; after an early career outside of sports, he attended Arizona State's dual MBA and Sports Business Degree program, From there, as he coined it, he, "embraced his skill set," and married sports with his strengths in CRM and database marketing. He rose quickly through progressive roles, much of which he attributed to "saying yes" to opportunities and leveraging his growing network. As it relates to the latter, he stressed, "it's not just who you know; it's who you know who knows what you know." Big thanks both to Russ and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 21: Russ Scibetti, VP, Product Strategy, KORE Software & Editor, TheBusinessofSports.com

Welcome to Episode 20 - the holiday edition! - of the Front Office Exchange podcast, where you'll hear from the one, the only, Troy Kirby, Sports Business Consultant and host of the popular "The Tao of Sports" podcast. Let's be honest, if you're listening to my podcast, you're definitely listening to Troy's. When I started FOE a few months ago, I had a plan in mind, but I would be lying if I said I didn't try to mimic many of the things that Troy does in ToS. While his podcast is more topical rather than career-focused, his passion, energy and the sheer volume of podcasts he's produced (700+?!) is staggering. The man is a machine, and he has set quite a bar in the sports business podcast world. Troy and I went for close to an hour, and he commented at one point that he's sure he was being boring and that the podcast was running long. Needless to say, I disagreed; while yes, this is one of the longer podcasts I've posted, if you're into sports business, I think you'll love it. I appreciated Troy's perspective on always wanting to learn, grow and experience best practices in sales, even in different industries. He recalls some of his favorite podcasts and advice he likes to share to those in the industry, including that there is no excuse not to do something - anything - that you want to in today's day and age; technology puts everything at our fingertips, and he points to his podcast - and mine - as an example of that. We also talked about his sales boot camps and what he's up to now outside the podcast. Big thanks both to Troy and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 20: Troy Kirby, Host, "The Tao of Sports" Podcast & Sports Business Consultant

Welcome to Episode 19 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Doug Warf, Carolina Hurricanes Vice President of Marketing and Executive Director of its Kids 'N Community Foundation. Doug and I got to know each other by running in many of the same sports business circles back in Raleigh, and he continues to be one of the most well-respected executives - not just in sports, but overall - in the Triangle-area of North Carolina. He's been with the Hurricanes for 15 years, almost his entire career, so he has seen the ups - a Stanley Cup championship - and the downs - two lockouts, under-performing seasons, etc. While Doug doesn't have the perspective of some I've had on previous podcasts who have bounced between multiple stops over the course of their careers, its his perseverance and what he's learned through the years and aforementioned bumps in the road with the Canes which make his story unique. It was also refreshing to hear how passionate he is about his work in the community through the team's foundation and how important it was to him to keep that Executive Director responsibility even after he was promoted out of community relations and into his current VP role. Big thanks both to Doug and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 19: Doug Warf, VP, Marketing & Exec. Dir., Kids 'N Community Foundation, Carolina Hurricanes

Episode 18 is another post-conference installment, this time, on the heels of the 2016 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings. It was a very productive three days in Washington, D.C. - not just for the White Sox! - but for me as it related to reconnecting with many former colleagues in baseball. I spent time outside of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center as well, meeting with the Redskins, Capitals, Wizards and Under Armour. The D.C../Baltimore-area is unique in that it features two major sports markets within an hour of each other, so it made for a busy few days. The Winter Meetings were my focus, however, and one lasting memory I'll take away, which I discuss in this episode, is when two PEBO Job Fair attendees approached me out of the blue to introduce themselves. We struck up a nice conversation and they talked about how while yes, the Winter Meetings can be intimidating for job seekers, there isn't anything to lose by walking up to someone to say hello and show interest in them. I appreciated their initiative and drive, and I hope they left the meetings with a positive experience...and a job offer! Thank you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 18: Major League Baseball Winter Meetings Recap

Welcome to Episode 17 of the Front Office Exchange podcast, featuring Michael Ehrlich, Director of Public Relations for adidas. I was introduced to Michael by a previous guest, Chris Yates - check out Episode 12! - but I had already been following him on social media, where he is very active and engaging - not to mention where he posts some serious footwear pics! In addition to his work with adidas, you can find him on Front Office Sports, writing for the Sports Business Daily and mentoring young professionals just entering sports business. Michael was extremely impressive, and much like others I've had on this podcast to-date, he was and is very giving of his time. In addition to his mentoring, he has guest-lectured at his alma mater at USC and is looking to do more of that in 2017. He also gives some great advice, including how to better manage your time. Big thanks both to Michael and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 17: Michael Ehrlich, Director, Public Relations, adidas

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring Brant Ust, Assistant Athletics Director and Executive Director of the Monogram Club at Notre Dame. Continuing the theme of bringing you my former USA Baseball colleagues that have gone onto success in collegiate sports business - be sure to check out Episode 15 with David Shoemaker! - Brant brings the unique perspective of being a former standout baseball player at Notre Dame who has now returned to his alma mater in a leadership role in the athletics department. Brant talks about his time in professional baseball after leaving South Bend, and ultimately his decision to leave the sport he loved. It is a transition that all professional athletes are faced with, and Brant walks through how he leveraged his experiences and network with USA Baseball to land one of his first roles off the field. His time with with the national governing body of baseball helped position him for his current role with Notre Dame, and it keeps him on a path to some day serve in an Athletics Director capacity. Big thanks both to Brant and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 16: Brant Ust, Assistant Athletics Director & Monogram Club Executive Director, Notre Dame

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Front Office Exchange podcast featuring David Shoemaker, General Manager of Razorback Sports Properties. David and I were both Marketing Coordinators for USA Baseball back in 2003 in what was both of our first jobs. When USA Baseball - in a shocker - failed to quality for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the USOC cut our funding and our roles changed; I moved on to the USGA and David was let go. He talks about what came next - an internship with Octagon - and how he took what he learned from his USA Baseball experience to become a harder worker, a better networker and someone who says "yes" to opportunities, to now leading what is one of IMG College's leading properties. We've heard from two members of IMG College - Jason Wilmoth and Will Baggett back in Episode 10 - but now we get to hear from someone leading the charge for one of its universities. Big thanks both to David and to you for listening. For show notes, past episodes and more, please visit us at www.frontofficeexchange.com, on Facebook at Front Office Exchange and on Twitter at @frontofficeexch. Please also feel free to reach out to me directly at jake@frontofficeexchange.com and on Twitter at @jakefehling. This and past episodes of Front Office Exchange are available on iTunes and SoundCloud, among other places, and I encourage you to subscribe, share episodes, rate them, add comments, and suggest ideas for future guests.

Episode 15: David Shoemaker, General Manager, Razorback Sports Properties

The Front Office Exchange Podcast is hosted by Jake Fehling of KFA Search and takes a closer look at the careers of executives and rising stars in sports business.

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Front Office Exchange

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