Allen Americans Welcome Mike Waddell as New Team President/Alternate Governor
April 6, 2020 - ECHL (ECHL)
Allen Americans News Release
Allen, Texas - The Allen Americans, ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, is indeed pleased to announce today that Mike Waddell has agreed to join The Allen Americans as their new President and Alternate Governor.
"I'm delighted that Mike Waddell is joining the Allen Americans Hockey Club as our new President and Alternate Governor," said Americans Owner Jack Gulati. "With his experience and leadership, he will be a big asset to the ECHL, our organization and the North Texas Community. We would like to welcome Mike and his family to Texas."
"I'm excited to join the Allen Americans leadership team and to continue to engage the fans and community of North Texas" shares Waddell. "Our mission is to create an extraordinary environment and exceptional value for our fans and community partners. It is truly a privilege to be a part of the great history of the Allen Americans and I look forward to working with Mr. Gulati, our Head Coach/GM Steve Martinson, and our staff to become one of the elite franchises in the ECHL.
A veteran of over 30 years in the sports world, Waddell brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Allen Americans front office. He was most recently the President of the Orlando Storm, of World Team Tennis and also served as Team President of the startup Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football during the 2019 season, where his staff led the AAF in group tickets sales, was second in overall attendance, and recorded the best on-field record at 7-1 under Hall of Fame head coach Steve Spurrier.
From 2016-2018 Waddell worked in NASCAR as the Vice President of Richmond Raceway, helping lead the 30 million-dollar renovation of the facility. Waddell forged new areas of revenue and brand engagement, first with the Racing Virginia grassroots promotional platform, and later with the THIS IS RICHMOND digital content campaign. In 2017 he championed the creation of Richmond Raceway E-sports, which was NASCAR's first track owned E-sports racing team, featuring six drivers and a host of engaged sponsors in NASCAR's Official iRacing Series.
Waddell has spent the majority of his career as a leader in college athletics, including three years as the Director of Athletics at Towson University, where the Tigers won 11 Colonial Athletic Association Championships and built the $85m SECU Arena and negotiated a $4.75m naming rights deal for the multisport facility. He has also held Executive Athletics External Leadership positions with the University of Illinois, University of Arkansas, University of Cincinnati and the University of Akron.
The Newton, NC native began his career in 1991 as a broadcaster with the Tar Heel Sports Network at the University of North Carolina and advanced up the play-by-play ranks at the University of Virginia (1994-97), Appalachian State University (1997-2000), and the U.S. Military Academy (2000-2001). While at University of Akron (2001-2006) Waddell served as the Zips' television Executive Producer and play-by-play announcer for football & basketball telecasts with ESPN Regional, FOX Sports Ohio, and Time Warner Cable.
A successful recruiter and developer of young professionals, Waddell has hired, mentored, and managed numerous junior-level associates who have since become senior-level leaders in the sports (NCAA, NBA, MLS, XFL, NHL), entertainment, higher education and private business verticals.
Waddell has also experienced success in private business as the Founder of Brentwood Partners, LLC, a firm he launched in 2013, which is focused on six pillars of client service; revenue generation, brand enhancement, fan engagement, creative production, eSports development, and management search. Key clients have included World TeamTennis, NASCAR Cup Series Athlete Joey Gase, the KANN Advisory Group, and Eternal Fan/Fan Memories. Waddell is currently of counsel to the firm.
A 1991 graduate of Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, Waddell was a Fighting Quakers' football letterman as a Tight End and Punter. Waddell later earned his master's degree in sport administration at Ohio University in 2010, which is recognized as the #1 graduate program in the World for Sports Business.
He and his wife, Heidi, have two children; Drew (22) and Caroline (20).
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT MIKE WADDELL
"Mike is a top-tier sports executive due to his outstanding work ethic and his high-level business acumen. He combines his passion and enthusiasm for sports with a strong sense of what fans want from their team support experience. He is a strong leader, who'll bring out the best in all of those people fortunate enough to work for him. On top of all of that he is a genuinely good person and a true family man." Tim Ruskell, Consultant, XFL / Former President & General Manager, Seattle Seahawks
"This is a great move for the Americans. Mike is a hard-working, fan-friendly innovator. He will bring first-rate competitive drive to Allen, making sure the team sets winning examples on the ice, in the community and on every helpful media platform".Dinn Mann, Executive Producer/Editor in Chief at Players Studios / Former Executive Vice President, Major League Baseball Advanced Media
"I had the opportunity to work with Mike when he was President of the Orlando Apollo's of the Alliance of American Football. Mike is a phenomenal leader who delivered amazing results by engaging the fans, building an incredible culture and leading by example. Mike will add tremendous value to the Allen Americans Organization and make the Americans an Elite organization on and off the ice. " Murray Cohn, President MC Sports Sales Training & Consulting Inc
"Mike will have an immediate, profound impact on the Allen Americans organization with his strong work ethic, exceptional desire to be successful, steadfast integrity and compassionate leadership. His experience speaks for itself -- three decades of bona fide success at every level across a plethora of sports -- while his keen sense of community will pay dividends for all of the stakeholders associated with the franchise." Art Chase, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/External Affairs, Duke University
"Mike will do a great job for Allen. He has a great attitude, he can multitask, he's a hard worker and has a lot of experience". - Bill Coffey, ECHL Hall of Famer
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