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August 25, 2008
CEO Profile: Casting a giant (New Jersey) Net
USA Today
by Adam Shell
We're not naive enough to expect USA Today to do critical reporting when it does one of its CEO Profiles, but this story reads like it was written by Brett Yormark himself. And alas, poor Yormark is not lacking in self-esteem.
"Whether it's at the end of a game or that last sale needed to make the monthly budget, I want the ball. That's pretty much been my DNA," says Yormark, a former high school hoops player and marketing whiz who made his name earlier this decade by revving up NASCAR's racing brand by brokering a $750 million sponsorship deal with Nextel.
...Yormark works long and fast, as if he's on a 24-second shot clock 24 hours a day. His work ethic is legendary. Fortune magazine once called him "The Overtime Guy." His alarm goes off at 3:45 a.m. He's the first guy in the office, getting there by 5 a.m. "I'm the one who turns on the lights," he says.
...Yormark recalls his initial deal with the Nets during his first go-round with the team in the late 1980s. "On my first day, I sold one of the biggest ticket packages anyone had sold," he says.
NoLandGrab: Be sure to read the part where Yormark compares the Barclays Center to the Eiffel Tower, and touts that the Nets are "building a new Brooklyn," which is good, since team owner Bruce Ratner is busily demolishing the current one.
Posted by eric at August 25, 2008 9:22 AM