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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Great Piece on a Good Guy ... Good Luck to Mike Golub

This post comes courtesy of The Oregonian - the hometown paper for a good friend from NBA days, Mike Golub.  

Mike ventured from the NBA's special events department to take a key marketing position with the Vancouver Grizzlies.  That move delivered a journey from Vancouver to Memphis, Tennessee before Mike returned to the NY-metropolitan area where he worked in a senior marketing capacity with the NY Rangers.

He later would return to the Pacific Northwest with an opportunity with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now, it's on to soccer for Mike and here's the take on the new gig, courtesy of The Oregonian's John Canzano:

***

The job interview was a handshake. Only one candidate was interviewed. And so the most critical decision of Portland's Major League Soccer enterprise is done.

Mike Golub will be announced as the Chief Operating Officer of the soccer franchise today. He'll be in charge of marketing, sponsorships, promotion and ticket sales. And while I'm not a big-time soccer honk, count me today among the open-minded souls who believe this thing will work.

Golub is why.

He's 48, and a New Yorker. And he's worked for Nike, the New York Rangers, Memphis/Vancouver Grizzlies, Major League Baseball Productions and the NBA league offices. He's a carnivore, but he's married to a vegan, which tells you a lot about the man.

I first met Golub after he was hired by Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen in 2006 to clean up the mess created by former president Steve Patterson, among others. He arrived unannounced and flew beneath the radar. But in the end, it became clear that the organization's rise and re-branding after five years in the draft lottery had Golub's fingerprints all over it.

Golub hired good people. He made smart decisions. He's an expert troubleshooter who understands people, knows the market, and is well connected on the levels necessary to win.

His expertise isn't often marked with grand unveilings, but rather with his ability to identify an approaching issue and massage it away. It takes no brains to make a decision that is in the interest of one party, and Golub has made a living by coming up with solutions that work for everyone.

When he left the Blazers in 2008, they lost an important behind-the-scenes player. They've missed him, whether they'll acknowledge it or not. Which is why his official return to the scene leading Portland's MLS franchise today marks the beginning of something fascinating.

We know Golub is a winner. We know he's navigated tougher waters than the ones facing MLS in Portland. And we understand that we're in a market that is pent up, welcoming the opportunity to have another sports entertainment option.

Yes, even soccer.

Again, I'm no honk. But I recognize that this market will support an alternative to the Blazers that feels like it will complement, not cannibalize, the NBA operation. My question all along hasn't been interest, or enthusiasm, but whether the organization would understand its role in the market and maximize the opportunity.

Golub's first job, in the sixth grade, was at a diner called Margie's Luncheonette. He washed dishes, and folded the newspaper for customers, and took out the garbage. "It was the kind of job everyone needs to have," he said.

Later, in his professional sports career, Golub played a key role in the development of the FedEx Forum in Memphis. And insiders with the Rangers and Grizzlies rave about his ability to dream big. With MLB and the NBA, he developed a reputation as an executive with a keen understanding of the value of healthy organizational culture.

Sports owners get it wrong all the time. Many are woefully out of touch with the fans who support their teams. They hire resumes, not people. And some of the mistakes that are made internally (See: Blazers, Patterson), present more to overcome than the customary and normal obstacles. The big question here is whether Golub will have the autonomy to do it his way.

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, who will hold onto the team president title, said, "He'll report to me, but he's going to have autonomy in the job to make things happen in the areas he oversees."

I suppose Paulson could have found a dozen resumes that included soccer experience on a team level or league level, or that cut across several disciplines of sport. He could have hired a bigger name. Or someone who was coming to Portland from a bigger market. Or someone who wears a tie (Golub rarely does).

"It's as important a job that we'll hire for," Paulson said. "More important than the coach."

Paulson has a reputation of being meticulous when it comes to hires. He sifted through 50 resumes before hiring a ticket-office job recently. And Paulson meets with everyone the organization hires, right down to the game-day employees.

But when it comes to his top executive, he shook hands and decided he already knew enough.

Said Paulson: "Golub gets Portland in a way few people would." 

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