IRL/IMS Names Bob Reif New Chief Marketing Officer
INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, Dec. 13, 1999 -- Tony George, president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the Indy Racing League, today announced that Bob Reif has been named to the new position of senior vice president for sales and marketing and chief marketing officer for IMS and the Indy Racing League.
Reif is currently senior vice president, sales and marketing, for the Miami Dolphins and Pro Player Stadium. He comes to IMS and the Indy Racing League with a distinguished record of success in sports marketing. The transition to his new duties will begin immediately.
"I am impressed with Bob Reif's determination, confidence and his record of achievement," George said. "He has a strong national sports-marketing background and is excited about the growth potential of our properties, especially the Indy Racing League.
"I expect Bob will significantly improve both league and team sponsorships as we continue to grow and improve our product," George said. "He is an important addition and compliment to the strengths of our sales and marketing team. We expect him to lead us to a new level of sponsorship growth."
Reif was recently recognized by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal for his achievements in their first "Forty under Forty" list. The list also includes Michael Jordan, August Busch IV and 37 other young men and women who have distinguished themselves in the business of sports.
According to Sports Business Journal, Reif, then 29, worked with Wayne Huizenga to consolidate his sports holdings--the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers and various other related businesses--into one sales organization. Reif then sold more than $250 million worth of sponsorships for the teams and the stadiums over the next three years. The venues include Pro Player Stadium, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Miami Arena and National Car Rental Center. Reif also secured sponsorships for Huizenga's SportsChannel Florida.
Bob pioneered the selling of sponsorship bundles across teams, venues and broadcast properties. Before joining Huizenga, Reif was with IMG (International Management Group) and IMG Direct in New York. He sold a significant number of sponsorships for the Detroit Grand Prix.
Prior to IMG, Reif owned a sports marketing firm, SportsGroup, in Newport Beach, Calif., where he acquired sports properties for television and marketing rights representation. Reif is a 1989 graduate of Princeton University, where he was the varsity quarterback on the football team from 1985-88. He and his wife, Sharon, have three children: a daughter, Bree, 10; and two sons, Chase, 8 and Bryce, 3. Group), the Cleveland-based sports marketing firm. While at IMG, he was director of corporate sales and marketing for the Detroit