A Human-Centered Approach to Sports Business, Benny Tran, LAFC - a podcast by Brian Clapp - Work in Sports

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp, VP of Content and Engaged Learning at WorkInSports.com and this is the Work In Sports podcast…







What would you do if someone asked you to build a new pro sports brand from the ground up, AND build a new stadium in LA? Your budget is 350 million -- go!







Me? I’d probably roll up in the fetal position and cry myself to sleep. This is a massive undertaking. 







Wrong steps have enormous ramifications. And I am known for my wrong steps, it’s part of my charm.















You can’t do over a brand, it is a living breathing thing that gets established then takes on a life of its own through the local community and sports ecosystem.







You can’t wing it on a stadium build, there are layers and layers of decisions that will have an impact felt for decades.







Benny Tran, EVP of Corporate Strategy and Operations for LAFC is the mind behind these monumentally important aspects I’ve outlined for you. When you hear Benny explain it, as you are about to, it seems like a calm walk in the park. 







He is so even-keeled -- methodical, pragmatic -- but also gives off this vibe like he has his arms around everything just fine.  Me I feel like I’m constantly sticking my fingers in holes, Benny just has a different air about him.







Can you tell I admire this guy?







Maybe it’s because in his life prior to sports, he worked on global initiatives like HIV/AIDS treatment in Southeast Asia, national health strategies and climate action. 







When you have your hands in issues of this magnitude, what’s getting a stadium built? 







There is a lot in this conversation -- from business intelligence, facility management, brand identity, community involvement, the importance oof daily workers and more. 







Here’s Benny Tran, buckle up.







Watch Benny Tran on the Work In Sports Podcast









https://youtu.be/JyYpreggcd4









Questions for Benny Tran, EVP Corporate Strategy and Operations LAFC







1: Undergrad at Emory majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic, MPA in public policy from Princeton, over a decade with the Clinton Foundation working on climate initiatives and Clinton Health Access Initiative – anything was in reach for you at any moment, so why sports? Why was being a part of the LAFC story the right move for you? 







2: October 30th 2014, MLS awards a new expansion club to Los Angeles after Chivas USA dissolved. You were hired a month later in December 2014 to be the SVP of Corporate Strategy and Development – early on, with so much to do, does it feel like trying to boil the ocean? How do you even start to prioritize and focus?  







3: Much of your background, prior to sports, was in international development.  







As you set forth to build a cutting-edge stadium in Los Angeles that would not only represent the city and the LAFC brand, but also employ thousands of people and open up the community – which proved harder your work in building public health infrastructure to treat people living with HIV/AIDS in SE Asia or getting a stadium built in LA? 







4: I was reading through the stats of Banc of California stadium and I found myself saying “that’s cool” or “what a cool idea!” a lot. Every seat is within 135 ft of the pitch, it is an LEED silver certified stadium, over 1,

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