Chief Endurance Officer
What does it take to build a career that spans NCAA water polo championships, an Olympic trials near miss, the founding of what became USA Triathlon, and over $400 million in verifiable business growth? In this episode of Chief Endurance Officer, Greg McDonough sits down with Carl Thomas, a veteran sports and entertainment executive with major leadership roles at Universal Studios, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, CAT Sports, and Speedo. At ASM Global, Carl helped build the commercial partnership team that drove growth leading to a $2.3 billion acquisition. He is also the host of the Best Boss Ever podcast. Carl walks Greg through his path from competitive swimmer and two time NCAA water polo champion at UCLA to co-founding what is now USA Triathlon, helping design the distances that became the modern Olympic triathlon format, and lobbying the IOC for four years to get triathlon added to the Olympic Games. Along the way, he shares the lessons that shaped his endurance mindset in sport and in business. Takeaways: * Endurance is about never quitting while staying willing to adjust, adapt, and pivot as circumstances, age, or environment change. * A pivotal moment came from his UCLA water polo coach, Bob Horn, who told a young and discouraged Carl, "Don't get your dauber down," and reminded him that speed is something that cannot be taught. * Coach Horn's mantra, "You always win the fourth quarter," instilled a mentality of performing until the final buzzer that Carl carried into his business career. * Carl helped design the swim, bike, and run distances that became the standard Olympic distance triathlon while working at Speedo in the early 1980s. * He cofounded what became USA Triathlon and later helped found the International Triathlon Union, now World Triathlon, spending four years lobbying the IOC before triathlon was added to the Olympic program for Sydney 2000. * From the earliest events of the US Triathlon Series, Carl and his partners awarded equal prize money to men and women, a commitment that never changed throughout the series. * Naming rights and revenue strategy have transformed how venues generate value, a shift now playing out at the LA28 Olympic Games as brands pay to keep their names on Olympic venues. Quote of the Show: * "The future is not set in stone. It will evolve. It has to evolve." - Carl Thomas Links: * Carl's LinkedIn :https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-a-thomas/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-a-thomas/] * DRVN Sports and Entertainment: https://www.drvnse.com/ [https://www.drvnse.com/] * Carl's podcast, The Best Boss Ever: thebestbossever.com [http://thebestbossever.com] Ways to Tune In: * Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/580aLDKac1ld031W4nWDtp]: https://open.spotify.com/show/580aLDKac1ld031W4nWDtp [https://open.spotify.com/show/580aLDKac1ld031W4nWDtp] * Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-endurance-officer/id1680214218?uo=4]: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-endurance-officer/id1680214218?uo=4 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-endurance-officer/id1680214218?uo=4] * Google Podcasts [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NoaWVmLWVuZHVyYW5jZS1vZmZpY2Vy]: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NoaWVmLWVuZHVyYW5jZS1vZmZpY2Vy [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NoaWVmLWVuZHVyYW5jZS1vZmZpY2Vy] * Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c96880f-8dcd-4a6e-b1c8-fda816f872a9]: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c96880f-8dcd-4a6e-b1c8-fda816f872a9 [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/3c96880f-8dcd-4a6e-b1c8-fda816f872a9] * Podcast Addict [https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4340732]: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4340732 [https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4340732] * Deezer [https://www.deezer.com/show/5897357]: https://www.deezer.com/show/5897357 [https://www.deezer.com/show/5897357] * Player FM [https://player.fm/series/series-3462719]: https://player.fm/series/series-3462719 [https://player.fm/series/series-3462719] * Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-5250102]: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-5250102 [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-5250102] * Listen Notes [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-ringmaster-KMdv2I8XwkN/]: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-ringmaster-KMdv2I8XwkN/ [https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/chief-endurance-officer-ringmaster-KMdv2I8XwkN/] Keep up to date on our social accounts: * Check out our Website: http://enduranceofficer.com/ [http://enduranceofficer.com/] * Community Discount Link: https://ceopodcast.myezrewards.com/signup/chief-endurance-officer-podcast [https://ceopodcast.myezrewards.com/signup/chief-endurance-officer-podcast] * Join my Endurance Leadership Community: https://endurance-leadership-community.mn.co/share/_C3ZDRz7OX2vbCme?utm_source=manual [https://endurance-leadership-community.mn.co/share/_C3ZDRz7OX2vbCme?utm_source=manual] Chief Endurance Officer is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts [https://ringmaster.com/]. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/ [https://ringmaster.com/]
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