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Jim Smith begins his fourth season helping to direct the Falcons' marketing efforts and franchise branding. Smith came to Atlanta after spending five seasons as General Manager and then President/General Manager of the Columbus Crew of the MLS in Columbus, Ohio.
Some of Smith's responsibilities for the Falcons include maximizing local and national revenue opportunities primarily through corporate partnership programs. Jim also manages all brand affinity inventory, including stadium assets, broadcast rights, team marketing rights, internet/E-commerce and consumer products, as well as event marketing. Smith and his partnership sales teams have increased the Falcons local sponsorship and broadcast revenues by over 300% since 2003. Smith has implemented a comprehensive and measureable customer satisfaction plan to meeting the wide range of sponsor clients needs.
During his successful stint with the The Crew, Smith captured 2001 MLS Executive of the Year honors by his peers and followed up that award by overseeing the organization's first ever championship the following season, when the Black & Gold claimed the 2002 U.S. Open Cup title. Smith was also instrumental in overseeing the administration of three of the most prestigious American soccer events of 2001 - the U.S. - Mexico World Cup qualifying match, the MLS Cup 2001 and the 2001 NCAA Men's College Cup.
Prior to joining The Crew, Smith was a member of the athletic department at one of his alma maters, Ohio State University, serving as Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Communications. At OSU, Smith was responsible for the direction and coordination of eight department heads in the areas of marketing, athletic communications, publications, external relations, merchandise sales, premium seat services, video services and concessions. His duties within the Buckeye athletic department also included developing plans to market various aspects of the university's broad athletic program, including advertising, merchandise, internet and special projects. Smith negotiated department rights contracts including media and apparel, in addition to creating the sales and marketing plans for sponsorships, premium seat and suite sales, and major athletic department events.
Smith's tenure at Ohio State was also highlighted by the design and implementation of the sponsorship and suite sales for the school's on-campus basketball facility - The Jerome Schottenstein Center. The Center boasted the largest collegiate sponsorship program in the country and has been recognized throughout the nation as one of the most unique revenue producing systems in college athletics through the sale of luxury suites and personal seat licenses, a combination that had not been explored in collegiate sports before, as it generates over $4 million annually.
Prior to arriving at OSU, Smith was the Director of Live Event Marketing for the World Wrestling Federation from November 1994 to December 1995. He also worked as the Coliseum Director at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, from May 1991 to November 1994.
Born Dec. 5, 1965, the Milford, Conn. native earned a Bachelor of Science degree in radio, TV, and film at Northwestern University and a Master of Arts in sports management at Ohio State.
He and his wife, Polly, live in Suwanee, Georgia with their three daughters, Rachel, Courtney, and Emily and son, Daniel. | 