A presentation designed to raise awareness about the carbon impact that sports organizations are leaving will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the Isenberg School of Management at 7:30 p.m.
The event, “Challenges and Triumphs of Being Green in Sport,” is being held in Room 210 of the ISOM and is hosted by Net Impact, which is a graduate organization focused on sustainability in business.
Two individuals will be speaking at the event. Dennis Robinson, the CEO and president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) and John Wentzell, the President of TD Banknorth Garden and Delaware North Companies Boston.
Both of the presenters are University of Massachusetts Sport Management Alums.
Robinson is responsible for managing the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The complex consists of Giants Stadium, Meadowlands Racetrack and IZOD Center. Robinson also oversees the Sports Authority businesses, which according to NJSEA website, “hosts over 600 events and 7.5 million guests annually.”
Wentzell oversees all of Delaware North Companies’ Boston operations, including those of the Boston Celtics’ and Boston Bruins’ events at the TD Garden.
According to the Delaware North website, “With more than $2 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, it is one of the largest privately held companies in the world.”
Robinson and Wentzell will be giving their presentations on what their organizations are specifically doing in order to help the environment and going green. They will also speak on what they are not doing in their businesses.
When the presentations come to a conclusion, the floor will open up for a panel discussion.
According to Evan Olesh, the current vice president of Net Impact’s chapter at UMass, Net Impact is a community of graduate students who join together and use the power of business to make an impact on economic, environmental and social aspects of the world.
The group was established in 1993 and includes over 15,000 members and over 200 chapters. Net Impact is working together with the UMass Sport Management Department to put on this public event.
Olesh, the current vice president of Net Impact at UMass said, “Even though it is only a small piece of the pie, it is still important to investigate this topic and really ensure that the future sport managers are aware of this important issue.”
Olesh also wanted to give “a special thanks” to Lisa Masteralexis, the department head, Dr. Mark McDonald, Maureen Kocot and Janis Ori for assisting Net Impact with putting on this event.
Timothy Jones can be reached at [email protected].
