On Friday, February 9 , Group One Thousand One and ISM Raceway sponsored a symposium on the regional impact of sports at the ISM Raceway in Avondale, AZ. The event was attended by local media invited guests and students from Arizona State University, who attended to learn about the sports’ ecosystem and how sports has impacted local communities in Arizona.
The event opened with a welcome from Bryan R. Sperber, president of ISM Raceway and was emceed by Rick Horrow, CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures as well as Verizon Indy Car driver, Zach Veach.
The event consisted of three panels. The first panel covered “Sports as Economic Development” and included Greg Ballard, former mayor of Indianapolis and the founder of Mayors’ Professional Sports Alliance, Mark Miles, CEO of Verizon IndyCar and CEO of Hulman & Company, Steve Patterson, CEO of the Arizona Coyotes, and Debbie Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Office of Tourism. The second panel discussed “Doing Good through Sports” and featured Dan Towriss, CEO of Group One Thousand One, Steve Leach, chairman of the Fiesta Bowl and Partner, Jones, Skelton & Hochuli PLC. and Lyn St. James, former IndyCar driver and member of the Automotive Hall of Fame, as panelists. The final panel, “Sports as a B2B Platform,” showcased Michael Andretti, owner of Andretti Autosport, Jeff Hutchins, vice president of network development at ISM Connect and Dan Towriss.
Horrow led panelists through a series of discussions on these subjects and highlighted the important role sports play in the everyday life of community members. From growing commerce and creating jobs to giving back to those in need and creating a culture of positivity, sports has played a vital role in American culture.
The event concluded with a Verizon Indy Car Series test on-track at the raceway.
