Apologies for the blatant plug but I'm really excited to finally be able to share this piece, which I teased a bit during a few recent Media Row Reports.
I wrote a cover story for this week's Portland Business Journal about Portland Trail Blazers president Chris McGowan and the progress he's made in his first 18 months on the job.
The full cover story, which touches on the Blazers' drive for profitability, is right here. Topics include: the naming rights deal, McGowan's shifting focus following the layoffs, the Blazers' digital strategy, progress at the Rose Quarter, and more.
Additionally, five leftover questions and answers from the interview were posted right here. Topics include what he's learned about basketball, what drew him to the Blazers, his biggest regret since arriving in Portland, what's next on his list of desired changes for the in-game experience, and where he wants to be in 10 years (and beyond).
The meat of the story came from a lengthy one-on-one interview with McGowan at his office earlier this month.
After going through the process of writing this story, I came away impressed by the Blazers' transparency, which might be the first time I've ever said that (!?!). As such, there are a number of facts, statistics and details included in the story that haven't been touched on or revealed before. Hopefully there are a few vignettes about McGowan that you find enjoyable, too.
Obviously we follow the Blazers' business moves in great detail here at Blazersedge, tracking each bit piece-by-piece year-round. The goal with this story was to provide a bigger picture, more comprehensive look at what's been going on over at One Center Court, and also to get to know McGowan a little bit better.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter