MEMPHIS, February 21, 2011— Hoops LP, the parent company of the Memphis Grizzlies and FedExForum, announced today that Michael Behrman has been hired as Vice President of Finance.
Behrman comes to Hoops LP after previously serving as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Bobcats Sports and Entertainment from 2005-09, where he oversaw all financial operations for the Charlotte Bobcats and Time Warner Cable Arena. With the Bobcats, Behrman helped procure the 20-year, $100 million arena naming rights agreement with Time Warner Cable and was instrumental in negotiating a 10-year, $125 million television contract with Fox Sports Networks. In his new role with Hoops LP, the Princeton alum will oversee the activities of the finance department and be responsible for ensuring that accounting policies represent industry best practices.
“Michael’s diverse experience in sports finance, most notably his work in the NBA with the Charlotte Bobcats and Time Warner Cable Arena, will be an important asset for our organization as we move forward,” said Greg Campbell, President of Hoops LP Business Operations. “We are eager to utilize Michael’s knowledge to further enhance the efforts of our finance department and company as a whole.”
Behrman, who has spent the past year as a sports finance industry consultant in the Charlotte, N.C. area, brings over 23 years of experience in finance, strategic planning and the capital markets to Memphis. Prior to his work with the Bobcats, he served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning and Treasurer of the Western United Financial Group in Spokane, Wash. He previously held positions with the Disney Company’s Wide World of Sports, Merrill Lynch International based out of England and Japan, and Goldman Sachs.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to join the talented management team of the Grizzlies,” said Behrman. “I look forward to helping grow the calendar of events at the beautiful FedExForum and to becoming a part of the Memphis community.”
The Buffalo and Rochester, N.Y. native earned an MBA in Finance and Corporate Accounting from the University of Rochester after completing a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Princeton University, where he was an All-Ivy League tight end on the football team and was later offered a tryout with the Washington Redskins.
Behrman holds a Chartered Financial Analyst Designation (CFA) and is the Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Chartered Financial Analyst Society. He also serves on the Executive Advisory Committee of the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester.