The Columbus Crew announced Saturday before their highly-anticipated MLS match with the LA Galaxy that they have hired Andy Loughnane as the club’s new President of Business Operations. Photo/TheCrew.com
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he planned announcement before tonight’s match between the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy revealed that the Black & Gold have named a new President of Business Operations in veteran sports industry executive, Andy Loughnane (pronounced “LOCK-nane”).
The hiring of Loughnane headlines a number of front office moves by the Crew as the organization continues it’s evolution under Precourt Sports Ventures.
“We are excited to welcome Andy Loughnane to the Columbus Crew as the next executive leader of our business operations,” said Crew Chairman and Investor-Operator Anthony Precourt. “In Andy we gain a smart, entrepreneurial and driven executive whose commercial experience will be a wonderful complement to Gregg Berhalter, our expert within our competition and technical areas. Andy’s hire further streamlines our overall club operations, as strong business supports strong soccer, and we believe we’ve added another critical piece to the growth and evolution of our club culture. We conducted a thoughtful and thorough national search that led us to selecting Andy from a field of over 50 qualified candidates, and we expect him to be an invaluable asset to our future success.”
Loughnane was an original staff member during the Columbus Blue Jackets’ inaugural campaign and an executive at Columbus-based Glimcher Realty Tryst. The move marks his return to central Ohio to lead the Crew into their future with Major League Soccer.
While with the Blue Jackets, Loughnane sold sponsorship and media assets during the launch of the organization before being recruited by Glimcher, where he worked on the company’s in-mail sponsorship platform. Loughnane’s sports background encompasses leadership roles with three major sports franchises in total, including the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings. With the Pistons, he oversaw sponsorship and media sales initiatives for the NBA club, The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival. He was with the Red Wings during their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.
“Andy has a strong pedigree in the sports business monetizing major league teams, plus he has gained valuable exposure to the concert business at Palace Sports & Entertainment,” said Dave Greeley, President of Precourt Sports Ventures. “He has a unique entrepreneurial sense, which we need at the Crew to elevate our brand in the community. Andy has a clear passion for both the sports business and Columbus, which will give us a necessary boost at the Crew to generate resources to win games. He will be a strong fit within Precourt Sports Ventures and our Front Office team leading our staff on a day-to-day basis.”
Loughnane’s business background led him to Adfluential.com in 2008. The company partnered with USA Today to distribute targeted advertising and travel content to hotel guests worldwide, which led to a transition of core assets of the organization to Gannett, USA Today’s parent company. He also worked for Corporate Executive Board – based in Arlington, Virginia – where he lead North American sales for their researcg and advisory platform supporting marketing and human resources executives within midcap firms.
The CEB position is what led Loughnane to his most recent role as Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for Palace Sports & Entertainment, where he led sales and services functions for the Detroit Pistons and the company’s other outlets.
Loughnane – a Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) graduate – and his wife, Jennifer, are relocating to Columbus as soon as possible.
“It is an honor to work with the Crew and rekindle many wonderful relationships here in Columbus,” said new Crew President of Business Operations Andy Loughnane. “Both Anthony Precourt and Dave Greeley have spelled out clear expectations on building a first-class soccer club both on and off the pitch. Building a successful commercial enterprise is essential to winning championships, so I cannot wait to get started.”
In addition to Loughnane’s appointment, the Crew announced several additional moves within its senior executive team:
- Mike Malo moves into an expanded, critical new role of Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, working directly with Loughnane to improve all functional areas of the organization – marketing, corporate partnerships, community relations, Crew Juniors, merchandising and the fan experience.
- Clark Beacom becomes Vice President of Ticket Sales, Services and Operations and will report directly to Loughnane.
- Other senior leaders will also report directly to Loughnane: Andrew Arthurs (Senior Vice President, Soccer Business Development/Executive Director of Crew Juniors); Chris Previte (Vice President of Corporate Partnerships); and Lori McKirnan (Vice President of Finance and Business Planning).
- A three-person operating committee will oversee all Crew Stadium operations, reporting to Loughnane, including: Dan Lolli (Director of Stadium Operations); Jordan Enke (Director of Facilities) and Weston Appelfeller (Director of Stadium Grounds).
