Michael Rowe
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Spanning a career over four decades, Michael Rowe is no stranger to building winning organizations and designing successful business strategies in the sports and entertainment world. He’s operated America’s biggest sports and entertainment complex; built and executed a televised NCAA basketball Classic atop an active aircraft carrier; designed and planned America's most successful regional sports network; advises clients on how to buy, sell or relocate their professional sports teams; and consults clients every day on how to successfully compete in the sports and entertainment marketplace. Rowe has consistently delivered winning strategies to get the job done!
NEW JERSEY SPORTS & EXPOSITION AUTHORITY
As Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, he presided over an organization that consistently returned an operating profit, while hosting over 4,500 distinct events and 80 million guests during his tenure. Rowe raised operating profits by over 300% during his 16 years at the Meadowlands. He was directly responsible for both the Continental Airlines Arena (20,000 seat capacity) and Giants Stadium (77,716 seat capacity) as well as the security, transportation and site managements of two additional horse racing facilities. He was the prime operations and business executive for four major professional sports franchises - - the New York Giants and the New York Jets (NFL), the New Jersey Nets (NBA) and the New Jersey Devils (NHL) and was part of the successful negotiating team that brought the NY Jets and the NHL Devils to New Jersey.
Rowe is the most highly decorated sports & entertainment venue manager in the world having been named “Facility Manager of the Year” a record four times (1988, 1989, 1994 and 1995) by the international talent and touring publication Performance Magazine. Rowe has also been named as one of The Top 25 Most Influential Sports Figures in New Jersey.
The Meadowlands was host to such events as the 1996 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the 1994 FIFA Soccer World Cup, a 1995 Mass by Pope Paul II, the Centennial Celebration of the Statue of Liberty, hundreds of concerts - - from Sinatra to Springsteen, and numerous sporting events and family shows. Rowe also negotiated and successfully executed the naming rights agreement for Continental Airlines Arena, a deal which established a new benchmark for similar agreements at arenas and stadia across the United States.
NEW JERSEY NETS (NBA FRANCHISE)
After leaving the Meadowlands, Rowe went on to overhaul the business operations of the NBA New Jersey Nets as Co-Owner, President, COO and Alternate Governor to the NBA Board of Governors. With an eye towards asset appreciation and turnaround management practices, Rowe increased revenues by over 200%, re-designing the Nets brand and facility lease. He built a state-of-the-art multi-million-dollar practice facility and brought the Franchise back to the playoffs after a 4-year absence. Rowe enhanced the asset value of the Nets during this time which enabled a franchise sale in 1998 with a valuation that increased by over 100% during the four years Rowe presided over the team.
YES TELEVISION NETWORK
Additionally, Rowe put in place the business elements and asset agreements that enabled the merger of the Nets with the New York Yankees and became a Co-Founder of YES Television Network, the nation’s most profitable regional sports network. Rowe was formerly part-owner/investor in Yankee Global Enterprises, the holding company of the Yankees and YES Network.
POSITIVE IMPACT SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Now, as the Chief Executive Officer of Positive Impact, a company that Rowe founded in 1998, Rowe puts his successful experience and passion for the business of sports and entertainment to work, assisting clients with business planning and facility development, event creation, event planning and commercial development with assignments spanning four continents and over seventeen countries. Successful strategic planning, management, asset appreciation and revenue-generation are the core disciplines that Positive Impact delivers to its clients.
Positive Impact’s current and recent clients are: BIG3 Basketball League for Sports Operations; Brand Agency For Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Asset advisors to the City of Newark on Sports and Entertainment Development; Operations Consultants to Fox Sports (FS1) on the Pearl Harbor CBB Invitationals; Management and Asset advisors to Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, Event Managers for the 2012 Northrop Grumman Battle on the Midway Basketball Game (NCAA); Advisory services for Brazil’s Arena Pernambuco Soccer Stadium; Consultants to the Team Walker Foundation for Inner City Youth ; Event Managers and Commercial Sales for the 2011 Quicken Loans Carrier Classic (NCAA); Strategic Advisory Services for The Meadowlands Sports Complex; Operations and Commercial Advisory services for the 2010 Olympic Stadium Renovation Project at BC Place; Operations Advisors to the Canadian Football League (CFL); Programming advisors for The Plazas at Downtown Jebel Ali in Dubai UAE; Commercial Operators for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Host Committee; Asset Advisory services for the Prudential Center Arena; Operations and Commercial Advisory services for the City of Bayamon’s Sports Complex in Puerto Rico; Strategic Advisory services for the New York Football Giants (NFL); Commercial Advisory services for the New York Racing Association; Seton Hall University Athletics; North Carolina State University; Newark Sports and Entertainment’s NBA Arena Project; Relocation of the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) and many other sports facility, management and commercial assignments.
Rowe served as Board Member for Lakeview Financial Corporation from 1987 through 1999, serving on the Boards’ asset liability and interest rate risk committees, personnel committee and a specially appointed committee charged with taking the corporation public, and then overseeing the merger of Lakewood’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Lakeview Savings Bank, into Dime Savings Bank in 1999.
NEW YORK GOODWILL GAMES ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
As Board Member and President of the New York Goodwill Games Organizing Committee, Rowe led a successful effort to have the international games hosted by New York City in 1998.
With regard to professional associations, Rowe has been a member of the Athletic Advisory Committee to the Board of Regents for Seton Hall University; Chairman of the Seton Hall Sports Management Advisory Council; Member of the American Economic Planning Group Advisory Board; Member of the Advisory Board of Metropolitan Talent; Member of the Board of Governors at Forsgate Country Club and is a member of the Honorary Board of Directors of the New Jersey Special Olympics.
Rowe is a frequent contributor to various industry publications and speaks at numerous university seminars and business conferences seeking his input on current trends and the future of the entertainment and sports industry.
Rowe earned a B.A. from Seton Hall University (NJ), an MBA from Rider University and also studied at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.