Steve Patterson

Former Houston Rockets General Manager, Portland Trail Blazers President & GM, and Arizona Coyotes CEO & President

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Steve Patterson has served as an innovative and successful executive and entrepreneur in the professional sports, college athletics, media, facility management, foodservice, design, finance and construction, data management, branding, and crisis communications industries for over 35 years. He has built championship teams and organizations, designed, financed, built, and run stadiums, ballparks, media enterprises, and arenas all over the United States. He has run small businesses with <$10M in revenue to larger companies with >$400M in revenue. He has experience with startups, turnarounds, PE-owned, and privately and publicly-owned companies as well as higher education organizations, helping each obtain record revenues and bottom-line results.

Business Highlights:

  • As General Manager and Alternate Governor of the Houston Rockets, Steve was responsible for all of the club’s business and basketball operations; was primary architect of the Rockets 1993-1994 NBA Championship team; directed business operations leading to the club’s two best financial years ever; doubled arena net income; negotiated record TV, radio, and cable contracts; acquired the record-setting attendance of the 1989 NBA All-Star Game; created and produced NBA’s first season-long Spanish language radio game broadcasts and NBA’s first weekly Spanish language television show.
  • While serving as Senior VP and Chief Development Officer of the Houston Texans, Steve led the successful effort to bring the NFL team and Super Bowl XXXVIII to Houston, Texas, designing, constructing, and operating NRG Stadium and creating the first investment grade rated sports franchise in North America.
  • As President and General Manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, Rose Garden Arena, and related food service and media enterprises, Steve led the turnaround effort that returned the franchise and radio stations from the least financially successful franchise in the NBA to profitability, with a young, revamped roster and the divestiture of numerous assets.
  • As Athletic Director at Arizona State University and the University of Texas, Steve dramatically increased each school’s endowments and set records for tickets, premium seating, donations, concessions, and licensing revenues while dramatically reducing costs and upgrading data management to drive further future financial successes.
  • As CEO and President of the Arizona Coyotes, Steve led the franchise to record-setting revenues and successfully positioned the team for sale at a record price.
  • Steve recently served as Co-Chair of Legend Labs, a brand and crisis communications consultancy for individuals, corporations, and universities.
  • For the past 15 years, he served as President of Pro Sports Consulting, which provides services to universities, companies, government entities, and individuals that operate or seek to acquire or sell sports properties; to design, finance, build, and operate sports facilities; and to maximize the revenue of these and related entities.

Steve has been an active board member on over 25 commercial, civic, and charitable boards ranging from data management SaaS companies, banks, and branding and crisis communication companies to sports leagues and a $7 billion+ NYSE-listed REIT.

Steve is a member of YPOG and CEO, the State Bar of Texas, Sports Lawyers Assn., and American Bar Assn. He’s also a Life Member of The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Texas Exes. He’s a graduate of the University of Texas Business School and Law School. He and his wife of 31 years, Yasmin, have three adult children. He enjoys skiing, yoga, and travel.

Featured Podcast:

Listen to Steve Patterson’s podcast episode – Building a Brand to Drive Client Engagement and Increased Revenues