Phoenix Suns Hire Brad Casper as New Team President

After Rick Welts’ resignation, the Phoenix Suns were left with a void at the ever-important position of Team President. Until earlier today, that is, when they hired Brad Casper to fill the role. Some details via the Arizona Republic: “When Brad Casper arrived in the Valley in 2005 to run Dial Corp., he wound up at his second NBA basketball game in two decades and was hooked. It was during the Suns’ conference finals run, one he likened to growing up in Cincinnati around the Big Red Machine era. The courtside experience prompted him to tell Suns Vice Chairman Sam Garvin, ‘I’d like to have your job.’ Garvin is staying, but the notion never left, especially when Rick Welts resigned as Suns president as chief executive officer last month for personal and professional reasons (and ultimately became Golden State’s president). Casper, with the experience of running a $2 billion company, will now run the Suns’ business operations as president. The interim president, former legal counsel Jason Rowley, becomes the Suns’ chief operating officer. Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver said his focus turned toward Casper after a recent NBA ownership meeting in which Miami Heat owner Micky Arison asked new Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris how he recruited an executive with the stature of Adam Aron, the CEO of Vail Resorts and Norwegian Cruise Lines, to be his team’s CEO. It was Aron’s passion for the 76ers.  ‘That got my wheels going in terms of maybe we could set our sights higher in terms of business experience and maybe there is a chance to bring someone in here who, because of his passion for the product, would be willing to come into a position that he’s overqualified for,’ Sarver said. ‘Brad brings a level of experience we’re fortunate to have, given an organization our size. He’s run companies 10 times our size. His breadth of experience in brand management, customer satisfaction and marketing is a big-time addition. He also has a lot of experience in international marketing, the fastest growing part of the NBA. His depth in branding and marketing is something we never had before.'”