FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cher Cox
312/505-7555
DEVINE RACING L.L.C. NAMES PRESIDENT/COO
Former USOC Veteran Named to Top Spot
CHICAGO (February 28, 2005) --Devine Racing, the Chicago-based company that
has fast been building a national reputation for acquiring and managing
world-class amateur athletic events, today named Gordon Kane as
President/Chief Operating Officer.
Established to bring a new level of quality and professionalism to amateur
road racing events in major market cities, the Devine Racing portfolio
currently includes the Los Angeles Marathon, the Las Vegas Marathon, the
Salt Lake City Marathon, the Chicago Half Marathon and the Chicago Big 10K.
Conversations are underway to expand that portfolio to 15-20 races within
the next 18 months.
Kane, 46, held two key management positions within the Olympic family in
the 1990s. He served as Director of Marketing and Brand Development for
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and Vice President of Olympic
Properties of the United States (OPUS). At the USOC, after successfully
managing corporate sponsorship marketing for the Atlanta Games, Kane then
developed the sales and marketing plan for OPUS – the joint venture with
the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter
Games. There, in addition to raising more than $550 million in sponsor
revenue, Gordon worked with major research companies and advertising
agencies to develop, then execute, the first ever brand advertising
campaign for the USOC.
He began his career in brand management positions with Kraft Foods and
Procter & Gamble and later as senior management positions with Clarion
Performance Properties where he developed award-winning programs for Sprint
and Gillette. He was also responsible for creating powerful sponsorship
programs for the NFL, ATP Tour and the inaugural Indianapolis Motor
Speedway Brickyard 400 NASCAR race.
A graduate of Miami of Ohio, Kane received his Masters Degree in Marketing
and International Business from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of
Management in 1986. In 2002, Gordon started his own consulting firm --
Victory Sports Marketing. There, his clients included the National
Thoroughbred Racing Association, Champions World (Manchester United) and
numerous consulting assignments in Beijing, which will host the 2008
Olympic Games. A marathon runner himself, Kane was recently named to the
Board of Directors of Running USA.
On joining the Devine Racing team, Kane commented, "I have always had a
passion for helping athletes (at all levels) accomplish great things.
However, what really drove my decision was the tremendous marketing
opportunity. Any corporation interested in talking to a highly educated,
high-income audience committed to physical fitness should love this
aggregation. For the first time, food companies, banks, packaged goods and
apparel manufacturers will be able to talk to (reach) a national network of
health-conscious American and international athletes. We will go beyond
providing races – to working with our partners to become a complete
solution provider for amateur athletics," he concluded.
Chris Devine, co-founder of Devine Racing, noted, "Devine Racing was
established with the vision of building the most well-respected running
events in the world. With Gordon Kane at the helm, we've got the
leadership, the tremendous marketing experience, his business acumen, his
personal savvy and his love of running – to complement that vision. My
partner Bruce Buzil and I, along with the entire staff, are thrilled that
he’s now on the team full time."
Committed to the celebration of individual accomplishment, Devine Racing
believes it has the responsibility to deliver the highest level of
professional service in the industry – for participants, sponsors and the
communities where races are held. This obligation stems from Devine Racing
co-founder Chris Devine’s passion for running and respect for all runners.
Building a consistently exceptional experience for the athletes is the
focus of Devine’s business, thus growing the value associated with
competitive distance running for all involved. For further information on
Devine Racing, visit the Website at www.devineracing.com.
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