Fred Whitfield - Carolina Bobcats
By: Henry Bostic
   
                        
Charlotte Bobcats Sports & Entertainment President and Chief Operating Officer Fred A. Whitfield brought an upbeat message to Charlotte Rotarians on Tuesday that under Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown the Bobcats continue to get better and hope to contend for a playoff spot this year.
 
But that's only one of the hats he wears. Whitfield is not only responsible for the Bobcats but also seeing that Time Warner Arena is booked to its best advantage.
The former player, coach, agent, basketball operations administrator and sports marketer, who was named head of the operation in July 2006, said, "We have to earn our way is this community by providing a family friendly environment. That's been my goal since day one," he said, that includes booking the Time Warner Arena with quality events 150 to 200 nights a year.
 
To that end, he recently negotiated a contract with AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world, which gives Time Warner Area first dibs on family shows and concerts in the Carolinas. "This puts us in the pipeline to get great events," Whitfield said, but he noted that Charlotte is in competition with seven other arenas in the Carolinas that seat 15,000 or more.
 
The Greensboro native said one of the first things he had to do when he joined the organization was "to correct" the Bobcats television deal which effectively held the team from most markets in the Carolinas. Negotiations took more than18 months and lots of lawyers on all sides - and including the naming rights for the arena - but now 800,000 cable subscribers in North and South Carolina can follow the Bobcats if their cable operators opt to include them.
 
Whitfield, who was in Charlotte when the Hornets enjoyed much of their success as an expansion team including 10 years of game sellouts, said the Bobcats have "to build their organization in a completely different way."
 
He described the Bobcats a "re-expansion" team. The community "has seen success first hand. We have to be patient and build for long-term success. We have to invest in young players and develop them not sacrifice the future."
 
On the team front, "things have changed dramatically since veteran Larry Brown took over as head coach." Only three of 15 of the players on the team when Brown came to Charlotte are still with the team. Whitfield said Brown is a great teacher and "right for our organization."
 
The former college player at Campbell University said there have been difficult personnel decisions, particularly given the salary cap structure in the National Basketball Association. He sighted in particular the Jason Richardson trade to the Phoenix Suns for forward Boris Diaw and defensive ace Raja Bell - two young players which will really help the team. More recently, the Bobcats traded their first-ever first round draft pick, Emeka Okafor, for 7'1" Tyson Chandler who better fits Brown's style of play.
 
On the business side Whitfield and his team continue to tweak pricing to get the winning value proposition. With the lowest ticket now at $10, "almost everyone can afford a ticket." For those who can't, the players have stepped up to provide tickets with a meal to youngsters that are less fortunate.
 
He's also spent much of the last year rebuilding his own business team with experienced veterans - mostly from other small markets - who he hopes will pay off this year in increased attendance. He said sponsorships and partnerships are up and that the organization is making sure that they will be handled with care.
 
He talked about the team's partnership with Presbyterian Hospital in sponsoring the Community Care Cruiser, which provides healthcare services to those who can't afford them. "It has been a very successful co-branding effort," he said. Much of its funding comes from the annual My Hero Gala, a tux and tennis fundraiser held on the TWC Arena floor. For the third year in a row, it's a sellout.
 
Whitfield noted with pleasure that the Bobcats will not have to sacrifice homes games at the end of the season this year for one of majority team owners' passions - the Jumper Classic. Last year, the team's last eight games were on the road and they lost all eight because the Classic was in the arena. The Classic will be back this year, but it will be in November and eight of the last 12 games will be at home and the team will "hopefully be in the hunt for a playoff spot," he said.
 
Scheduling is one of the biggest headaches for Whitfield and staff. Their goal is to book the arena 150 to 200 nights of the year including home games. Most other teams have similar concerns. Each of the 30 teams annually sends their schedules to the NBA where "one man" develops the schedule.
 
Whitfield said his aim is to get as many Friday and Saturday night games as possible. For the top team, he noted, it doesn't make any difference when they play, they will draw crowds, but for teams like the Bobcats, they draw better on the weekend.
 
Whitfield was complimentary of the work of the Charlotte Regional Visitors' Authority and its CEO Charlotte Rotarian Tim Newman who introduced the speaker. "He's phenomenal to work with," Whitfield said. "We have a similar goal: to drive business development uptown and to make Charlotte the ultimate sporting events center in the Carolinas."
 
Head Table: Brady Drummond-Ryan, Tom Phillips, John Snyder, Tim Newman, Ed Lewis, Brad Picot;
Invocation: Katie Tyler;
Visitors and Guests: Mark Norman; Health & Happiness: Leland Park, Song & Piano: Thomas Moore; Photos: Bert Voswinkel

• Sympathy is extended to the Edgar Love family. Edgar, a long time member of Charlotte Rotary, passed away October 14, 2009 as a result of complications from a brain tumor. As was so eloquently stated by Leland Park, Edgar was a gentle man and he will be missed. Memorials may be made to The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke, DUMC Box 3624, Durham, NC 27710.
                 
• Condolences are also extended to Sheila Cottringer and family. Sheila's 27 year old niece passed away last week following a short bout with the flu and pneumonia.
 
• Encouraging health updates: Mike Rash suffered a heart attack last week. Lila brought him home on Monday and is doing her best to "keep him in the house" for a little recovery time; Leland Park had cataract surgery and is very grateful for the excellent result; George Robinette is back from his last round of treatments in PA.

• Congratulations to Christian Cherry and his new bride, Tarah; Dr. Dick Reiling was honored at the Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons in Chicago, Illinois, this past week. Dr. and Mrs. Reiling received the Distinguished Philanthropist Award of the Fellows Leadership Society; Luther Moore, John Mahaffey and George MacBain served as Guardians on the October 20th Flight of Honor (WW II Veterans trip to Washington); thanks to Catherine Browning for arranging the flu shot clinic.

• Tickets ($60 each) to attend Top-of-the-Week Rotary's Annual Auction and Costume Ball on Friday, October 23, 6:30pm at the new Ritz Carlton may be purchased by calling Jim Povec, 704-280-7595.
  
• Rotary Foundation Banquet: Scheduled for November 16 at the Embassy Suites Convention Center in Concord. Social gathering at 6pm and the meeting will begin at 7pm. Keynote speaker, Jody Zogran, polio nurse connected to Dr.Salk's polio vaccine research team, will share her perspective of polio from vaccine development through the effect polio has on its victims and their families. $40 per person.

Should you question the eligibility of any nominee, contact the Rotary office by 10/26/2009.