Some firepower for the Dream business side.
Jim Pfeifer, former Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers executive, has officially been named Vice President of Corporate Partnerships of the Atlanta Dream, President and General Manager Chris Sienko recently announced.
Pfeifer’s resume boasts an extensive marketing background in the professional sports world. He spent the last two years as President of the Atlanta Blaze, a Major League Lacrosse team. Before that, he worked for the Atlanta Hawks as both vice president of marketing, advertising and branding and later as vice president of partner integration. His stint with the Hawks was from 2005 until 2016.
Prior to joining the Hawks’ front office, Pfeifer spent time with the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers as the director of marketing. Before taking on professional sports in Atlanta, he worked in the marketing department at Madison Square Garden for nine years.
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- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 28: All-Rookie team announced
- Women’s Basketball, September 17: NCAA Hoops to start Nov. 25
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 14: Mystics are going dancing
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 10: Dream are (mathematically) stayin’ alive
What especially stands out about this hire is how much time Pfeifer has spent in the city of Atlanta. For this reason, in addition to his background and expertise in marketing, you can see why he is the man for job. The WNBA needs executives who 1) understand the marketing landscape of their franchise’s home city and 2) can use that knowledge to build a bigger or new market of people who will invest in women’s basketball.
Pfeifer taking the job makes me believe he’s ready for a new challenge; a challenge of which he’s highly equipped to tackle successfully. His connections in Atlanta are likely very significant. That in and of itself will pay off for an organization like the Atlanta Dream where things are trending upward. Under head coach Nicki Colleen, the Dream finished first in the Eastern Conference standings with a 23-11 record.
It’s exciting the WNBA can attract, and hopefully retain, candidates as strong as Pfeifer. There has been a lot of movement in front offices throughout the entire league, but change could take the WNBA to new heights in 2019.