Minnesota has long been home to legendary sports figures (think Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Neal Broten, Paul Molitor, Cindy Nelson, Fran Tarkenton, Lindsay Whalen, Randy Moss and so many more), but is has also played host to legendary sporting events and championships. Everything from two Super Bowls to World Series playoff games, to championship hockey, to the Ryder Cup, to skiing and more.
This episode featuring three dynamic leaders in the Twin Cities, Wendy Williams Blackshaw of MN Sports and Events, Tanya Dreesen of the Minnesota Vikings and Jill Renslow of Mall of America talk about how the community pulls together to attract these iconic events. They share personal stories of the hard work and excitement surrounding hosting massive, international events in Minnesota.
The fast-paced conversation covers successful past events, what is coming as well as how the community works to create and build state-of-the-art sporting facilities that help to attract world-class events and athletes. Wendy, Tanya and Jill also talk about the unique challenges faced by female leaders in a male-dominated profession.
Whether you are a sporting fan or simply want to learn more about community collaboration, this episode is sure to provide valuable things to consider.
Guest: Wendy Williams Blackshaw, CEO & President of Minnesota Sports and Events; Tanya Dreesen, Vice President of Partnership Activation, Events & Special Projects at Minnesota Vikings Football, LLC
Hosts: Jill Renslow
Presented by the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau the official destination marketing organization for the city of Bloomington, Minn.
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This is so
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much more Mall of America podcast
where we bring together business leaders
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to tell stories, share best practices,
give you the insider scoop.
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I'm Jill Renslow.
I'm the host for today's show.
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I'm the Chief Business Development
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and Marketing Officer here
at Mall of America.
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And I'm joined by two fabulous
female business leaders, joined by Wendy
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Blackshaw, who is the CEO and President
of Minnesota Sports and Events
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and Tanya Dreesen,
who is the VP of Partnership
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Activations, Special Projects
and Events with the Minnesota Vikings.
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So welcome, ladies.
Thank you. Happy to be here.
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We are very excited to talk.
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We don't get a chance
to get away from our day to day job.
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So excited to have you guys here.
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We're going to talk today about our
the world that we live
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in, sports
activations, partnerships, marketing.
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So, Tanya let's start with you.
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I would love to have our listeners,
our viewers learn about your career,
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what you do for the Minnesota Vikings.
How long have you worked there?
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Maybe some of the special projects
that you've done
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that have really influenced
our marketplace.
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Okay.
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Thank you, Jill.
Thanks for having me here today.
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Well, I am now, now that it is
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the end of January, entering now
my 15 season with the Minnesota Vikings,
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I am responsible
for the team that does activation.
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That means for the promise keepers,
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events
and special projects at the same time.
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And in that list of responsibilities,
we are fortunate
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and that we can work on some pretty fun
special initiatives
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that have involved both of you,
that if we go back in time,
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we can go back to even 2012 to
even when we were working on
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getting our stadium built.
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So some of the biggest pieces
that will be recognizable to
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of course you guys know them very well
and others would be building U.S.
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Bank stadium
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and within U.S.
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Bank Stadium,
a lot of the special projects
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and special touches
that you'll see in there,
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whether it's the ship out front
or the art collection inside the stadium
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or some of the special integrations
of partnership.
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And that means at the club or in a gate,
I, I am responsible for a team
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that is very, very creative
and can come up with amazing ideas
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on how to build a partnership
into an existing space.
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Outside of that,
we also manage all of our events.
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That means tentpole events
that can be draft and training camp
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and partner trips on the road
to anything that involves your work.
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So that means whatever else
is going to be happening at U.S.
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Bank Stadium.
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And of course
the Mall has been an important piece
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to our activation and we would sometimes
call it our home away from home
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because this is where we love to be able
to put on events for our fans.
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It is a diverse audience.
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It's always a packed audience.
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It's where our team store is.
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And I will say,
you have apart for my team,
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some of the best events talent
in being able to execute
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and put on an incredible event
for people.
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And we're going to get into
some of those details
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of what we've done together.
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But I mean, look at all the changes
that the team has went through
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since you've been there
from changing over from Eden Prairie
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to Eagan, the new stadium,
a lot of leadership changes.
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So we're going to get into some of that
as we move on with the conversation.
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But shifting to Wendy, so
we've worked together for a long time.
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So when I started at the mall,
I was an intern starting
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and you were the marketing director
here.
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You've had so many different career
successes working on the Super Bowl
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now leading Minnesota sports and events.
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So what is that role like in
creating this new venture for our state?
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Well, that's a great question,
and it changes almost weekly.
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When I started out,
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actually,
the three CEOs of the convention
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and visitors
bureaus came to me and said,
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You did the Super Bowl,
and we think that we should continue
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to do these huge events,
so would you be interested?
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And kind of not having any idea
what what I was saying yes to.
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I love sports.
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I loved working at the Super Bowl.
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I thought, yeah, I'm in.
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And it's been a very up and down
journey.
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What we do is we bid on and then execute
and fundraise for these mega events.
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So Super Bowl, Women's Final Four, we've
got some some great events coming up,
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but we're kind of at a crossroads
and we've done amazing work.
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You know, Women's
Final Four was just hugely successful.
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We did the Title IX 50th anniversary.
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You guys, we're very involved in that,
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but we're kind of at a crossroads
right now because we're the only city
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and state that that funds these events
through corporate sponsorship.
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So we've been working really closely
with the legislature, which is a whole
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new kind of world for me, something
I didn't think I would do.
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Really interesting thing
and but really important
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because these events
bring economic impact, social impact,
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reputational impact,
and it's important that we have these.
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So kind of a whole new
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turn of events for us.
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We've got some really cool
events coming up
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and actually we have a big announcement
a few weeks back.
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We'll share.
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Maybe you'll give us a little insight,
maybe.
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But I think really your relationships
that you've built
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over the course of your career
and I think, you know,
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everybody says everything happens
for a reason and you found this role
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based on your journey that you had
with all the different roles
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and all the relationships
that you built, because now you're able
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to leverage those partnerships
to really make a difference
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because you're doing it
for the entire state.
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It's not just for the Twin
Cities, correct?
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it’s not just for the Twin
Cities, correct.
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And that's something that we talk
a lot about.
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You know, each one of these events has
a pretty significant legacy component.
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So you'll remember for Super Bowl,
we we raised $6 million
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and we did different initiatives
all over the state for kids and sports.
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For Women's Final Four
we did the Title IX 50th Anniversary
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Championship Tour and then we
we built the basketball court at
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Hall STEM School.
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So there's always those charitable
initiatives for the community
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that are really important.
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We've done a lot of things out here.
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We've got Special Olympics
USA Games coming up in 2026,
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which is a huge, amazing,
really important event.
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So we want to continue
to do these things,
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but we couldn't do it
without the community support.
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I mean, I will say that
just recently the governor
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and the four leaders
reached out to USA Gymnastics
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to send letters to urge them to please
support Minneapolis
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as the location for the Olympic trials
for 2024.
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Suni Lee, a lot of Minnesotans,
you were very influential in that.
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So yes,
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the community has been
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incredible in this, but now we kind of
have to take it to the next level.
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Each one of these sports
is like my favorite.
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I always think I always know like,
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what's next, Special Olympics
I'm very much looking forward to.
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But we had a big event that we all three
worked on very closely together.
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We worked with the broader community,
but I think it was Super Bowl
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52 was a turning point for our community
to realize what we were capable of.
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And I think there's something
really special in this marketplace
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that everyone really understands
now that we have the secret sauce.
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We have passion, we have pride in what
we're able to deliver here in Minnesota.
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So let's set the stage a little bit.
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Super Bowl 52 for
those that are not aware,
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the NFL transcended on Minnesota and
really brought the game to our market.
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And we had both teams
staying here at Mall of America.
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So we had the Patriots at the JW,
we had the Eagles at Radisson Blu.
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All the media were here with Media
Center, Radio Row,
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thousands of media outlets.
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And, you know,
we kept them nice and warm inside
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because it was a little chilly
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out that year,
but it was the Bold North, right?
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We embraced it.
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We celebrated it,
and we brought everybody together.
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And what we are very proud of is
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we had over a million people
through our doors
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in that extended weekend
of the Super Bowl festivities.
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So talk a little bit about
how did that come to be?
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How did Minnesota even get their name
in the hat to be considered?
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And you worked with the NFL,
you work the host committee.
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Like how did that collaboration
and coordination work?
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Well, it it does go back to 2012
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and it goes back to when we started
lobbying for the stadium bill.
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And as we were building U.S.
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Bank stadium, or the vision of U.S.
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Bank stadium, one of the visions was
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that it will host worldly events.
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And we made that commitment from day
one that this was going to be a building
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that would be perfect for hosting things
like a Final Four or a Super Bowl.
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And so the bid process started
and we started to build the pitch.
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And as we were building the pitch,
we realized with our stadium
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and with our climate
that we were probably going
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to be one of the most expensive
Super Bowls,
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but we would also be
maybe one of the smaller ones
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with a capacity of a new stadium
out of about 66.
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But we would also bring
an incredible experience
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with outstanding volunteerism
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and a unique delivery of Super Bowl
than what the NFL has delivered so far.
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And so through the work
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and working with incredible stakeholders
in this community,
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we decided to come up with a campaign
similar to what you just said
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with Bold North.
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But we were going to make cold, cool
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and not to be intimidated by the cold,
so we literally prayed for
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cold on Super Bowl Sunday because
you got to make cold happen, right?
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So we built the pitch around that let's
make cold cool and let's be honest.
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I mean, dressing for
the cold is kind of cool now.
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It's fashionable.
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Years ago you wouldn't have the Uggs
and the Canada goose and the Monclers.
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Now you do so you can make cold very,
very cool and that's what the pitch was.
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And we focused on the U.S.
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Bank stadium,
but also the people of this community,
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because as you know,
and to your point of
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the amount of visitors
that you had come through here,
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we have to have this community
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rally around the Super Bowl to be able
to have that brand and that reputation,
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that Minnesota's incredible place
to host a world level kind of game.
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And we were.
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The only disappointment.
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Yes. Say it.
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Say it. Bring it home.
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(Indistinct) So close.
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So close.
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But to answer your question,
though, Jill, so it was
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building the right story
and then also building U.S.
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Bank Stadium, knowing
what it was going to potentially host.
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And so that game hosted at U.S.
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Bank Stadium
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was the first game, for example,
to have people stand on the field
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for the game.
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That's never happened before.
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The the Mystic Lakes Club
Purple has couch seating that overlooks
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the bowl that's now no other
seating product like that in the NFL.
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So there were a lot of special things
that especially you guys did on the host
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committee side
that did make Super Bowl in Minnesota
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one of the best Super Bowls,
I think, that the NFL has executed.
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And we always said to them,
hey, listen, if it snows, we got this.
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We know how to handle and move the snow
unlike anybody else.
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And so the weather preparedness
plan was bulletproof.
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And and it was
it was an absolutely perfect day,
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except for the teams
that were competing.
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So then with the host committee,
how does that get established
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when does it get established
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with the bid going out to be considered
as the location?
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When does the host committee
come into play?
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So it depends on the market,
but for us it was about three years out.
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20 Yeah, it was about 2015.
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And so Maureen Bausch, who was here,
was the CEO, and then she hired me
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because I was the fund raiser
and then we brought in
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actually a number of people
from Mall of America.
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I mean, it was it was sort of
like a Mall of America reunion.
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I mean, Mall of America is a great place
to learn, learn
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all these things
and come and put on a Super Bowl.
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It was probably the most incredible
experience of my career.
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It really was.
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I mean, just starting from nothing.
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I mean, I can remember,
you know, they give you the bid book
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and the bid book is thick,
but the bid book is the contract.
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It doesn't really, really
tell you how to do it or what to do.
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So the NFL really relies on you
to figure that out.
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So it was a blank slate,
which was wonderful and terrifying.
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And there's a lot of funding to raise.
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We were so fortunate to have Richard
Davis, Doug
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Baker and Marilyn Carlson Nelson
as our three co-chairs,
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all business leaders who helped us
with that process of fundraising.
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But it was it was
it was an amazing experience,
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but at times
it was kind of overwhelming.
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But again,
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the partners that came through, not only
the sponsors, but Mall of America,
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you know, all of that, the city,
the state, everybody came together.
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It was it was really a situation
where you can see
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if we all come together,
the amazing things that we can do.
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You know, some of my favorite moments,
like the snowmobile jump over
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Nicollet Mall and it was about 28
degrees, big, huge snowflakes.
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It was it was just it was magical.
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And Richard kept on saying Richard Davis
kept on saying, I want it to be 32
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and sunny.
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Now, it wasn't quite like that
at Super Bowl Sunday, but the week
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leading up but the week leading up,
we had three outdoor concerts
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on Nicollet Mall, Super Bowl Live,
you know, six blocks long.
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We had over a million people in the
in the freezing cold.
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I mean, the colder it got,
the more people came.
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And I was really nervous
the first day before we opened.
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I'm thinking, no one is going to come.
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No one's going to come
and what are we going to do?
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And it turned out
to be absolutely magnificent.
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And to this day,
I have people who still say to me, like,
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I was so proud to be a minnesotan,
you know, I was watching from New York
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or I was watching from California,
and it made me feel so good
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to see my home state. Absolutely.
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Yeah.
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Well, we gave people stories
to tell and reasons to come back.
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And I think that's
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what was important for all of us, was
that we wanted to showcase our market
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and want those fans to come back with
their families and come back to visit
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even when it's warm outside.
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So it's we’ve got all four seasons.
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And I think and I remember, too,
with the many that supported
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the host committee, many corporate
partners, Fortune 500s here.
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One of the objectives was
we want to put Minnesota on the map
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so that people consider
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moving here for their careers
and raising their families.
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And I think what we saw
was a huge uptick
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there of people coming to Minnesota
for the first time and going,
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oh, wow, this is very different
than what I imagined.
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And then being able
to start these relationships and
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and potentially moving their families
here to the state of Minnesota.
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So whether it's building their careers
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or their families
that we definitely made that happen for
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for a lot of these Fortune
500s And Roger Goodell zip-lined
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across the Mississippi,
what could be better?
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But it's a brilliant structure, though,
if you think about it, for Super Bowl,
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where the you'll have local, local
people do the bid, work on the bid.
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But then also you think the game,
you think about the game.
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Creating a whole local host
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committee is brilliant because then
you can do all those special touches
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and engage all the local people,
which is what makes it so personal then.
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Well, and you create those legacy
elements that live on for years.
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Great point.
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I think also
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we all have that common thread
that the fan experience is what's key
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and what's our North Star
to keep us focused on
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how we want to deliver things.
And it's in our day to day.
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It's what we do for every event,
every visit that we have
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with our guests, every stadium visit,
watching the game,
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whatever that might be.
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And I think
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when you look at the fan experience,
that's what
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Mall of America,
what we pride ourselves in,
00:16:20
because we want to make sure
that every family that comes through
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our doors has a magical,
memorable experience.
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And I mean over the years,
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the Vikings have hosted a lot of events
here, creating a great fan experience.
00:16:30
We just had fans out here
as we were going to the playoffs
00:16:34
and having the SKOL chant, and it's just
that energy that fans bring.
00:16:38
There's a passion that's very special.
00:16:39
So Tanya I would love to hear
some of your other favorites
00:16:43
over the years
of some of the fun traditions
00:16:45
that we've had with the Vikings
here at the mall.
00:16:47
Yeah.
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So, I mean, you pick the first one,
which is fan rallies, and the fan
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rallies here are special because it just
makes so much sense to our team store,
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to the connection of our stadium
because of the with the light rail
00:17:01
connecting both of us with just
a few stops away from each other.
00:17:04
It's brilliant to have a fan event here
where fans can move back and forth,
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even on game days.
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And so we we've always wondered,
you know,
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can we ever expand
tailgating out this way because we know
00:17:16
there are so many fans that come here
and park and head down to the stadium.
00:17:20
But even before that, as
of course we know because of something
00:17:24
we all worked on, the Mall used to be
the name of our field at the Metrodome.
00:17:31
And and I remember
00:17:33
both of us being aligned
in what we wanted to do with fans there.
00:17:37
You wanted fans to know
that they could come here
00:17:40
as an occasion, not a special occasion,
but frequently come to the Mall.
00:17:44
We'd love that
because of our team store here.
00:17:46
And then for us, because this
what this felt like another home
00:17:50
where we would host our fan rallies.
00:17:52
It made so much sense for us to be able
to put the name on the stadium,
00:17:55
on the field, and then be able to host
our events here at the same time.
00:17:58
And so whether there's crossover
between your customers and our fans,
00:18:03
it made a lot of sense.
00:18:04
But so there's the fan rallies
that we host here,
00:18:07
but it could also
be our player appearances
00:18:10
or it can be our special experiences
for our fans.
00:18:13
If a player's going to bring fans here
for a shopping spree
00:18:16
or it's our cheerleader tryouts
00:18:18
that we host down in the rotunda,
our SKOL line tryouts down
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in the rotunda, I would say
the SKOL line tryouts in the rotunda
00:18:24
are unbelievable because of the sound
and how it moves through the rotunda.
00:18:30
So, you know, we we've had a lot
of great times there in the rotunda.
00:18:33
But then also, like I said, outside,
and thankfully,
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we've got the transit system
that links our buildings together.
00:18:39
Well we always know when the SKOL line
is performing ‘cause we get calls
00:18:42
from the tenants of the loud drums
that I know they love it.
00:18:46
We love it.
00:18:48
Some of my favorites
are the charity connections.
00:18:50
When the players will come out,
00:18:51
do shopping sprees for families
and for those in need, it really shows
00:18:55
their true colors of the passion
that those players have to really make
00:18:59
a difference in the community.
So we love and the staff favorite.
00:19:01
Can I say what we do as a staff
favorite?
00:19:03
Absolutely.
00:19:04
Well, so I call it our holiday
party is in the park.
00:19:07
Yeah, we shut that park down.
00:19:10
You take over?
00:19:11
Yeah. The only downside to
it is your kids.
00:19:14
If this is where they started the rides,
then think there's never lines
00:19:18
for the rides.
This is how it always goes.
00:19:21
But that's actually where the kids start
00:19:23
to first experience Mall of America
for a lot of the younger families too.
00:19:27
So the park is a staff favorite.
00:19:29
Oh, that's great. That's great.
00:19:31
So you talk about, you know, there's
so many people and businesses and brands
00:19:34
that benefit from these big events,
00:19:36
whether it's here at the Mall
and all of our tenants that love
00:19:39
the amplified efforts
that are through our property
00:19:42
when we host events or if it's
bringing it out in the marketplace.
00:19:45
You've brought,
00:19:45
you know,
00:19:45
not only the Super Bowl,
00:19:46
but you talked about so many different
activations that have been out here
00:19:49
and most recently
the Women's Final Four.
00:19:51
It was great to see so many brands
come out here, activate with
00:19:55
the undertones
of women and empowerment and Title IX
00:19:58
and it was just a great celebration
for everybody.
00:20:01
How is it to work with all these brands?
00:20:02
It's a lot of times
you're going back to these brands time
00:20:05
and time again with new opportunities
with different sports.
00:20:07
But it's also a challenge
because you're lot of times asking them
00:20:11
for financial support,
00:20:12
knowing that you are going to
legislature for the long term funding.
00:20:15
But talk about what
00:20:16
that relationship is like
with these brands over multiple events?
00:20:20
You know, and not every single event
works for every single brand.
00:20:24
And we know that.
00:20:25
But I will say we have a community
that is different like than any other.
00:20:31
And we are the only community
that does really rely on the corporate
00:20:35
business community.
00:20:36
So we're so fortunate.
00:20:38
So our relationship is fantastic
00:20:41
and they understand
that this is a community effort.
00:20:46
They they know that
00:20:48
perhaps
00:20:49
it isn't going
to be, they're not going to be getting
00:20:53
the 9 million impressions that they get
if there is a billboard on 494.
00:20:58
But they're going to get a lot more
than that, especially things like
00:21:03
their employees will see that they're
supporting these community events.
00:21:07
They're out here supporting something
like Title IX 50th Anniversary.
00:21:10
So it's not just those eyeballs
on whatever they're trying to promote.
00:21:14
It's also kind of that holistic support
that they give these events.
00:21:20
Title nine
00:21:20
was a really interesting example,
especially compared to Super Bowl,
00:21:25
because Super Bowl is
before the pandemic.
00:21:27
Then we had the pandemic
and then we've started to fundraise
00:21:30
for Women's Final Four.
00:21:31
And what our partners were looking for
was so, so completely different.
00:21:36
And what really resonated with them
was kind of the DEI
00:21:43
the but also the fact
that it was a Title IX 50th Anniversary,
00:21:47
how far we have come.
00:21:48
And we created a platform
to honor actually 11 Minnesota women
00:21:53
who have made such a huge difference
00:21:55
in the lives of girls
and who have served as role models.
00:22:00
So as you know, we did a lot around
supporting and celebrating those women.
00:22:04
And it was an incredible event out here.
00:22:07
And I think
00:22:07
much more than just partner activations,
they were really meaningful.
00:22:12
3M had Post-it notes
where you could write a message to your
00:22:16
favorite athlete.
00:22:17
And the messages,
I mean, they brought tears to your eyes.
00:22:20
So I think that partnerships
are changing.
00:22:23
They need to be more meaningful
00:22:25
and they need to have sort of that
community component they always have,
00:22:29
but even more so now,
I think, since since post-pandemic
00:22:32
and since also since, you know, things
that have happened here in Minneapolis.
00:22:36
Absolutely.
00:22:37
And I think that's
why you're so good at what you do,
00:22:39
because you never come forward
with a cookie cutter package
00:22:43
saying you need to pick A, B or C,
you really understand the brands, you
00:22:47
bring forward packages and activations
that make a difference,
00:22:51
that have purpose.
00:22:52
And I think brands
really appreciate that.
00:22:53
So we're lucky to have you
in the marketplace to,
00:22:55
to bring those opportunities forward
because that's not always how it works.
00:22:58
And there's more to come. Yeah,
there are more to come.
00:23:01
So with that said, what are,
so I know that you can't reveal
00:23:05
some of the things
that are in the bidding process,
00:23:07
because I understand that
working with you
00:23:08
with Minnesota Sports and Events, but
talk about some of those dream events
00:23:12
that you would love
00:23:14
for us to host in this market
that would be perfect for Minnesota.
00:23:17
You know, there's a couple.
00:23:18
One that we are bidding on right now
is World Junior Hockey championships.
00:23:22
And this is going to be
near and dear to your heart.
00:23:25
So December and January of 25 and 26.
00:23:29
So a time when in downtown
Minneapolis and downtown
00:23:32
Saint Paul, hotel occupancy is 5%, 6%.
00:23:36
Tens of thousands of people
come in from all over the world
00:23:39
to participate in this hockey
championship.
00:23:42
So it's not just the United States,
it's from all over the world.
00:23:46
And it's not just a Xcel Energy Center,
although that would be the main arena.
00:23:51
It will be probably Target Center and
we'll do exhibitions all over the state.
00:23:56
You know,
00:23:56
one of the things we really try to do
is to do the statewide outreach.
00:24:00
This would be a perfect example of that.
00:24:03
We could do an exhibition in Duluth,
we could do it in Mankato.
00:24:06
So we are really excited
about bidding on this.
00:24:09
There are a couple other cities
that are bidding on it as well,
00:24:12
and we start that process soon.
00:24:14
But that's one we're very excited about.
00:24:16
We have, we are a finalist city
00:24:19
for the Olympic Trials
for gymnastics in 2024.
00:24:23
We are
and a lot of people don't realize this,
00:24:26
but we have become kind of an epicenter
for gymnastics, obviously.
00:24:29
Suni Lee, Grace McCallum and Shane
Wiskus, who were in the
00:24:33
previous Olympics.
00:24:34
But there are a few kind of up
and coming gymnasts
00:24:37
who are at that elite level
who we are really excited about.
00:24:42
So fingers crossed that that we get it.
00:24:46
We are up against a city in Texas
00:24:48
and we're hoping that that we
00:24:51
you know that we get that that will be
and both of those will be dream events.
00:24:56
And then the other one
00:24:57
that is going to be coming here,
which is absolutely a dream event.
00:25:00
And I know for you,
too, is Special Olympics USA Games,
00:25:02
so that's in June of 2026,
and we're just thrilled about that.
00:25:08
So for those super fans
that are listening
00:25:11
or watching that, just love sports,
how can they be part of this?
00:25:14
How can they be in the know of
what's coming up?
00:25:17
How can they support those efforts?
00:25:18
Because it takes a tribe,
00:25:21
it takes an army
to make things like this happen.
00:25:23
Is there anything that these super fans
can help with and support?
00:25:26
That is a great question.
00:25:28
So we just started something called
MNSE Champions Council and actually
00:25:32
both of you are participating in that
and it is for business leaders
00:25:38
and but even people
who are just really interested in sports
00:25:42
that have some sort of crossover
in sports and they can be on committees.
00:25:47
We have a lot of different
networking events.
00:25:50
We actually have a
00:25:51
Timberwolves game on Friday night
where everyone's coming together,
00:25:54
but it's a great way
00:25:56
to be on a big committee,
to be on a fundraising committee.
00:26:00
All of these events will have
00:26:01
multiple committees because again,
we need the community to be involved.
00:26:05
We need help doing these events.
00:26:06
So it's a wonderful way.
00:26:08
It's all on our website and we hope that
we have a lot of people who join us.
00:26:13
I love that. I love that spark.
00:26:15
So in closing today,
00:26:17
I would like to ask you guys a question
that you're not aware of,
00:26:19
because I didn't tell you this
before we started,
00:26:22
but both of you have experienced
amazing events.
00:26:25
You have met wonderful people,
influential professionals,
00:26:30
athletes, Hall of Famers, whoever
that might be during your career.
00:26:35
Who is that one person that stands out
that you have met,
00:26:38
that has maybe changed
your course, has influenced
00:26:41
you as a business leader,
and that has made a difference?
00:26:44
So I can see Tanya's wheels
are spinning, so I’ll start with Wendy.
00:26:47
Herb Brooks. Herb Brooks?
00:26:50
I met him when the the
00:26:54
USA hockey team won the gold
00:26:57
and he came back to Minneapolis
and they had a parade
00:27:02
and I was a hockey cheerleader at the U.
00:27:04
And I was scuttling along trying to find
00:27:07
the cute hockey player
that I could sit in the car
00:27:10
and and the old coach was like,
I need a cheerleader.
00:27:14
And, you know,
00:27:17
waved me over and literally
it was the most magical 3 hours.
00:27:22
He gave me his card. We kept in touch.
00:27:24
He helped me get my first job.
00:27:26
He was incredible and, you know,
00:27:29
until until his death,
he we stayed in touch.
00:27:33
And he he was a huge influence on me.
00:27:36
And part of my love of sport
00:27:38
came also from
even though my family growing up.
00:27:41
We love sports, but it enabled me
to help see kind of the community
00:27:47
around sports and how it really does
bring people together.
00:27:51
So yeah, thanks for sharing.
That's awesome.
00:27:53
Hmm. Alright.
00:27:54
My answer’s in the same category,
but different Wayne Gretzky.
00:28:00
Really? Yeah.
00:28:02
When did you meet Wayne Gretzky?
00:28:03
Oh, this is in Toronto days.
00:28:04
Of course, Miss Canada. Yeah.
00:28:06
If you didn't notice and hear her accent
here.
00:28:10
You can still hear
with your O’s a little bit.
00:28:13
Oh, thanks.
00:28:15
And I would say Wayne Gretzky,
because this was at the start
00:28:18
of my career when we were learning
how do you handle player appearances
00:28:23
and how do you interact with them
and how do they treat people?
00:28:29
And at that time, you know, I was more
00:28:32
so learning and figuring out
when you stay in the background
00:28:36
and when do you lean in and hand
when you hand
00:28:37
the Sharpie and Wayne was so gracious
and mature and treated everybody
00:28:44
equally, despite what titles were,
00:28:47
and put his family first.
00:28:50
And he had to fight through a lot of
controversy when he married an American.
00:28:55
And yet he still remains so,
00:28:58
I would say loyal to his family
and loyal to who he is as a person.
00:29:03
Never elitist out of, I would say, of
00:29:06
the professional athletes
I've had the pleasure of meeting.
00:29:08
Wayne has definitely made an impression
that I don't know if many others
00:29:11
can stand up to
because of just how centered and proper
00:29:18
that he was.
00:29:19
And yet
00:29:19
and he was facing a lot of criticism,
even changing teams and and so forth.
00:29:24
So, yeah, I mean, I think
probably Wayne Gretzky, I love that.
00:29:28
Well, thank you to both of you
and sharing your- What about you?
00:29:30
We need to know your answer.
00:29:32
Well, I didn't prepare an answer.
00:29:34
I have met
I have met so many fabulous people here.
00:29:37
And I think a lot of them,
00:29:38
to your point,
like they have such a big name,
00:29:42
a big personality, that sometimes you
don't get a chance to meet who they are.
00:29:45
I think it's just been multiple
people over the years
00:29:47
where you get a chance behind the scenes
to have a conversation and to learn
00:29:51
that they are real people
and that they want to make a difference.
00:29:54
And sometimes the fame and the glory,
sometimes gets in the way of who
00:29:58
they are as an individual.
00:29:59
So it's been fun to learn that.
00:30:00
But that's going to wrap us up today.
00:30:02
So thank you for joining us
for this episode of So Much More.
00:30:06
We will be back with another episode.
00:30:08
So stay tuned. We'll see you soon.