Front Office U

On Front Office U Fridays this week we learn about college athletics and the difference between working in one sport vs. working in college where you help every sports team. Our Co-Host Victor sits down with Aakash Karki and understands the differences as well as how it is to be an international student. Aakash is originally from Nepal where he fell in love with sports being around soccer and cricket. He explains the transition of coming over here and how he took a chance to make his dreams come true.

Maddie McCarron works as a social media content creator for Fox Sports. Today's guest on Front Office U goes through her career in how she was able to land a job working in Los Angeles for one of the most extensive sports networks in the US.

Hosts Ryan Kearney and Clayton Radl chat with Maddie about choosing Iowa, what it is like to work in multiple sports, and her day-to-day at Fox Sports.

Connect with Maddie:

LinkedIn

Instagram

[email protected]

Caroline Owen joins Front Office U to discuss her career experiences in sports leading to her current role in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls. She shares about her experiences getting into sports while growing up in North Carolina, her college experience at Virginia Tech, and how she got connected with the Bulls in her Data Analyst role.

Connect with Caroline on LinkedIn!

[email protected]

Philip Rhodes has worked with the Niagara Men's Hockey Program since 2018 and he shares about all that goes into a Hockey Operations role.

Hosts Ryan Kearney and Ryan Mene talk with Philip about his hockey operations experience working in Germany in the DEL 2 league, Dubuque in the USHL, and now at Niagara University where he is also the Director of Dwyer Arena!

Add Philip on LinkedIn!

As the Director of Partnership Development for one of the most successful NFL franchises, Chris Stathos brings a unique perspective to the podcast. With an unwavering passion for sports and an impressive career spanning over a decade, Chris has established himself as a leader in the front office.

Hosts Ryan Kearney and Nathan Escobedo chat with Chris about his early experiences in sports, internship experiences while in college, and what it is like to work for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Connect with Chris on LinkedIn!

Tune into the conversation between our host Victor Anderson and the Marketing Project Coordinator for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Adam David Ferreira!

Adam explains how crucial relationship management is in his current role with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and how you are constantly talking to different departments about how to present the ideas they have to the public.

The journey didn't just start there as Adam has a unique story where it started with letting his parents know how passionate he was about the sports industry and how if they invested in him he would do the steps necessary to work in sports.

While we dive deeper we continue to understand how crucial building connections is during your time in college as well as a way to learn from sports professionals in your position.

He also explains how promoting Esports in the sports industry is new but actively growing each year.

Lastly, Adam explains how he had continued to take chances on himself which ultimately gave him opportunities by marketing himself throughout his time in college.

On this Front Office U Friday our co-host Victor sat down with Jon Kliment who has over 20 years in sports ranging from merchandise, Play by Play commentator, media relations, etc. Jon explains how college was a way for him to be able to be noticed as a way to stand out from his peers. Jon talks about how merchandise is a department that doesn't get as much love as you would think and that how it is a tough position to be in. Jon remembers hiring people for merchandise and having to fire some because they just weren't as invested as they said they were. He remembers when he had to put someone on hold on the phone during a hockey game in which if they won they would be in the playoffs. Jon also explains how Doc Emric he reached out to and he reached back out saying to keep doing what you are and it really helped him continue to want to be a play by play announcer in hockey

This week on Front Office U Friday's special guest is Jeff Morander who is the CEO of the Association of Luxury Suite Directors known as (ALSD). Jeff has 35+ years of experience in the sports industry from working for the NHL to working on the team side (Owatta Senators, Arizona Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning, etc.). Our hosts Victor and Ryan breakdown Jeff's journey and how important it was for him to network everywhere he was. Having networked he was able to have the opportunity to grow his network which helped him learn about the business. Jeff goes on to explain how crucial it was to volunteer when he could as he informed us he was able to learn so much which helped him propel his career.

On this Front Office U Friday's episode, our hosts Ryan Kearney and Ryan Mene meet with Anthony Hilliard to discuss his career background in sports agency from his experiences with the Preferred Group to founding the Sterling Group. Tune in to hear Anthony's perspective on relationship building, servant leadership, and the necessary skill sets to thrive as a sports professional!

Tune into the conversation between our host Victor Anderson and Ryan Kearney with Director of Business Development at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Tom Grossinger!

Tom explains his experience while in college and how reading, writing, and speaking were important when it came to selling himself early in his sports career. Moving on into the podcast he explains corporate partnerships and how big of a change it is when it comes to selling season tickets. He informs about how important it is to him to work with great leaders one being his inside sales manager earlier in his career Dan Rosenthal.

A quote that Tom said that stood out to us during the podcast was “Pick your mentors wisely. Pick the people that are going to lift you up, pick the people that are going to help you push forward. And they have the ability to create an entire career for you out of nowhere and without those guys I am absolutely nowhere”. It is a great understanding of how important it is to build strong relationships in the sports industry while either working for a sports team or being in college.