The day after one of the tougher Bronco losses may be a
strange time to write about what a great sports town Denver is, but I am lucky
enough to know two small organizations headquartered in the Denver that,
despite their relative anonymity, have a remarkably huge impact on the world of
sports that is worth bragging about.
The first company is Icon Venue Group, which just celebrated
its 10th year anniversary. Icon Venue Group was founded by Tim Romani, who oversaw
the development and construction of the Pepsi Center as the President of Ascent
Arena Company, and who oversaw the development and construction of Sports
Authority Field as Executive Director of the Denver Metropolitan Football
Stadium District. Tim also has overseen the successful development and
construction of the new Comiskey Park in Chicago before moving to Denver in
1995.
Sports venues bring with them a distinct set of issues most
construction projects do not encounter, such as the costs, financing and high
public profile. After the successful completion of Sports Authority Field
(Invesco Field when it opened), Tim realized there was a niche for expertise in
construction management of sports venues that he was qualified to fill after
overseeing three projects that catered to each of four major sports leagues –
the NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball.
Wherever in the world an important sports venue has opened
in the last decade chances are Icon Venue Group, with its talented roster of
experts that is a true “all star” team in the industry, had a hand in its
completion. From the O2 arena in England to the Sprint Center in Kansas City to
the Staples Center in Los Angeles to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce
City to the to the renovation of Wrigley Field in Chicago, Icon Venue Group is
a true force in the sports business. And it all happens from a 9th
floor office in the Denver Tech Center.
The second company is Bortz Media & Sports Group and
Managing Director Arthur Steiker. The next time you look at an NBA or NHL
schedule and wonder how on earth it all comes together, think of Arthur, who is
the brains behind them.
Arthur starts the process by working closely with both the
NBA and NHL offices to determine available arena dates, travel logistics and
network TV priorities for all of the teams. Through a series of complicated
matrixes and custom computer code, Arthur creates the schedules pretty much
single handedly. In the case of the NHL, Arthur also has to account for a
team’s “rest” factor to level the ice, so a team that has played three games in
four nights does not have to play a team that has played one game in three
nights. The factors he has to juggle and take into account for the schedules
are staggering and create a web that seems impossible to untangle. For more
than 20 years, from his humble office in the Denver, Arthur meets the
challenge.
On top of the NBA and NHL, Arthur has also completed
schedules for many major NCAA conferences. He also handles scheduling officials
for the NBA. Locally, he donates his time to schedule thousands of games for
the Gold Crown Foundation, using his wizardry on a complex doubleheader format that
he says is as difficult as any schedule he tackles.
A quick disclaimer is that while neither of these stellar
organizations are Wolfpack clients and this post was completely unsolicited, I am friends with both. Both Tim and his team and Arthur have made me a better professional and a better person through my relationships
with them. So as depressed as I find myself after my beloved Broncos dropped
out of the NFL tournament, I do take solace that no matter what happens on the
field, court or rink, Denver remains a great and important sports town thanks
to the good people at Icon Venue Group and Bortz Media & Sports Group.
Recommendations:
If you missed it, read an interesting profile of John Elway
in Sports Illustrated that speaks about his extreme competitiveness, which
explains a lot about why he made the coaching change: http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/07/john-elway-denver-broncos
