Date: September 28, 2017
Contact: Karen Kim
Director of Marketing & Communications
Office: (972) 335-9522 | Cell: (972) 900-9651
kkim@friscochamber.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Frisco Chamber of Commerce Business Behind Sports
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce held the Business Behind Sports luncheon on September 14, 2017 at the Omni Hotel Frisco. In attendance were leaders of the business community, city leaders and dignitaries as well as sports enthusiasts and a few sports celebrities including Chad Hennings, Dallas Cowboys; Marty Turco, former Dallas Stars; and Olympian bobsledder, Johnny Quinn. The Presenting Sponsor of this sold-out event was Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at the Star.
With the recent addition of arena football team, Texas Revolutions, Frisco now can claim being the only city in North America to be home to six professional sports teams.
The panel discussion was moderated by Joe Trahan, weekend anchor and sports reporter for WFAA. The panelists included Jim Hinton, CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas; Jerry Jones, Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of the Dallas Cowboys; Donnie Nelson, Co-owner of the Texas Legends and President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks; and Jimmy Smith, COO/CFO of FCD Holdings, which operates FC Dallas, Toyota Stadium, and Toyota Soccer Center, FCD Youth, MoneyGram Soccer Park, and the National Soccer Hall of Fame Experience.
Tony Felker kicked-off the luncheon by reminding the audience that this year’s BBS marks the one year anniversary of the Frisco #1’s foam hand marketing initiative, which allows businesses and fans alike to share “their wins with us photographing themselves with the foam hand and using the hashtag #FriscoNumberOnes!”
Trahan’s first question to panelists were asked “Beyond your teams directly, in what other ways do your respective venues contribute to the economic impact of Frisco?”
“It all goes back to the vision of Lamar Hunt and the great City of Frisco,” said Jimmy Smith, speaking of Toyota Stadium’s long-term partnership with city and multiple sports and entertainment events that take place at stadium. “With over $2M visitors per year, it is not just soccer,” said Smith. He mentioned concerts, such as Jimmy Buffet and Off the Rails, the addition of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the FCS Championship game, now in its seventh year, and the new Frisco Bowl, which will take place on December 20, 2017.
Trahan spoke of all the Texas Legends do for our community. “We are philanthropically minded. All of us [teams in Frisco] give back to the community,” said Donnie Nelson, as he praised fellow sports teams in Frisco.
“Things were already pretty amazing up here in Frisco before the Jones family arrived. It reminded me of that famous line in Jaws where Richard Dreyfuss finally gets a look at the shark and says Captain, we are
going to need a bigger boat!” joked Nelson. “Frisco has overnight become the best destination for everyone that want to see sports at the very highest level, sports as a science and that building next door, (referring to Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at the Star) is going to be unlike anything you have ever seen!”
One of the most direct benefits to Frisco is increased home values as Nelson pointed out, which led Trahan to the next question: “We have seen this area explode. Do you think Frisco just lucked in to this, in this Sports City USA moniker or was this planned?” Nelson touted the City of Frisco for its planning and continued, “in the wake of all of this are a whole lot of headquarters that are deciding to come to Frisco versus other spots.”
Visit Frisco (formerly Frisco Convention and Visitors Bureau) recently introduced a new tagline, Sports City USA to brand this area. Trahan asked how this tagline will impact our area. “Capturing that moniker is critical,” said Jim Hinton. “It is something we can uniquely claim here in Frisco. Sports is such an important part of our society, our schools, … our families! The Jones family approaches this as a family business and brings those values to this community.”
During the audience Q & A via text, Jim Hinton was asked by an audience member what new medical equipment or procedure he was most excited about at the new Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at the Star facility. With laughter, he responded “all of it!” Hinton went on to say “We are going to focus on these athletes, we are going to try to help them prevent injuries and get back to their sport more quickly. There are some cool things, ‘gee whiz’ things in there, such as Fusionetics.” explaining how Fusionetics can predict which part of an athlete’s body may be most susceptible to injury.
Trahan reminded the audience that the Dallas Cowboys were the most valuable sports franchise on the planet. “They’re number one!” said Trahan. Jerry Jones, Jr. expanded “Taking that visibility of the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL and leveraging it, in a way that you can do something extremely positive ….nothing happens by accident!” Jones shared how proud he was of both his family and the City of
Frisco and other partners for moving so fast in the partnership between the Cowboys, the City of Frisco and Frisco ISD. He also made mention of how proud he is of the partnership with both Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy and Research at the Star and “one of the most special hotels,” the Frisco Omni Hotel. “We really believe Frisco can be a regional… we believe an international destination and I believe that is what is being built here today,” said Jones. “This does not happen by accident! Hats off to Frisco!”
About the Frisco Chamber of Commerce
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce is a 4-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce that consists of more than 1,300 member businesses who provide goods and services to the growing, bustling economy in Frisco and the surrounding area. The mission of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce is to protect and promote commerce, through advocacy, resources, and connections. For more information, visit www.friscochamber.com.
