have won two championships as a player and one as a member of the front office. Some players… a lot of players go their whole careers without winning anything, so I feel very grateful to have accomplished that goal twice. Winning a cham- pionship at the pro level, whether it’s single A pro or the NHL, is something no one can ever take away from you. They are memories that stay with you for the rest of your life and the bond you create going to battling and winning with teammates is something that keeps you connected for life. Working in the front office and winning a cham - pionship is a whole other level. While without the players there is no game, without the front office putting butts in the seats, selling sponsor - ships, and promoting the team in the community and in the media, there is also no team. It’s a different challenge but a lot of the same charac- teristics overlap like teamwork, communication, and hard work! I feel so grateful to have worked in the front office of professional sports as it allowed me to sharpen my skills, build a network and is ultimately what led to the creation of our baby, I mean startup FanSaves! Did you always want to be an entrepreneur and start your own business? KM: To be honest, I always saw myself working in the front office of a major professional sports team. I love the business of sports and it’s some- thing I’ve always been drawn to. Having said that I’ve always kind of had an entrepreneurial flair. The business I spoke of earlier while in uni - versity was a food delivery service that I created called the Union Delivery Service or UDS for short. I quickly became known on campus as the guy that would go to the student union where all of the different food vendors were, and I would use their student cards to purchase and deliver right to their door. If you’ve ever been to college or university, there are many reasons why this service is appealing. Students and friends hated having to walk the few minutes to the union to get food and while it may sound a little lazy there are many valid reasons why having your food delivered made sense. Whether it was in the middle of a study session or paper, partying with roommates, heavy snow (Upstate New
York), or inclement weather many sought me out to deliver their food for a small fee. A friend lent me a scooter and I got myself a little cooler bag. I even would wrap up people’s orders in brown paper bags and staple the receipt for full trans- parency. I wish I had a better phone back then because it was a real sight to see me ripping through the quad balancing a couple of pizzas and drinks in one hand trying to steer with the other. It became so popular that I even made “The Racquet” the school newspaper where I and my venture was featured! This was my first foray into entrepreneurship but would not be my last!
Did you have a mentor? If so, who was it and what was the most important lesson they taught you? KM: I’ve had many mentors throughout my time at school, working in the front office and throughout our startup journey. A few that stand out are Edwin Portugal and Greg Garder, a couple of business professors that I really liked and who helped me manage to balance a pro- fessional hockey career and a full-time univer- sity course load. They taught me a lot about business and prepared me for the next phase of my career. Two others that come to mind are Don Kirnan and Herm Sorcher. Don was and still is the commissioner of the Federal Prospects Hockey League which is where I played and got my start in the front office. Don gave me my first front office position as the GM of the Watertown Privateers and I often say I would not be where I am today without that opportunity, I’m so very grateful. Herm was an owner of another team in the league and when I was hired as the GM of the Privateers, he helped me get my footing and provided me with continuous advice and infor- mation to help increase ticket and sponsorship sales which were two of the main responsibilities of the position. It’s something I’ll never forget! Tell our readers about FanSaves and the work that you have been doing with teams and organizations to help increase sponsor- ship sales and fan engagement through your award-winning digital platform.
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MAY/JUNE 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • MAY/JUNE 2022
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