David Ehrlich says he’s feeling “a little overexposed” these days – and little wonder. The former executive with Kroenke Sports has branched out big-time, and lots of people have noticed. Now an executive vice president with The Bonham Group, the 39-year-old recently announced a new sales company within the consulting and marketing firm. In addition, Ehrlich was named one of the 25 most powerful people in Colorado by 5280 magazine – an honor, he says, that only goes so far.
Anthony Cotton: Tell me about the new venture.
David Ehrlich: Basically it’s a strategic sales and consulting company for national and international clients. It focuses on strategic issues that come along only every so often, so companies aren’t necessarily built to handle them – a naming-rights deal would be one example. You don’t build up staff for that, because it only happens every 20 years. A new concession agreement, where if you’re building a new baseball stadium, you’re going to have hundreds of millions of dollars running through that transaction – how are you going to maximize that one negotiation, that one opportunity to do that? This company will come in and help you do your deal, advise you how to do it, negotiate it and then get out. It’s sort of like a Delta Force that can go in anywhere, get it done and get out.
AC: Is there a sense on your part that you’re stepping off a cliff?
DE: Oh, yeah! Kroenke Sports was never going to go away, it was a great, big company that was doing great. And this thing with Dean (Bonham) could fail. And that was something that didn’t exist in my life before – I don’t think it will, but the trade-off for having some ownership is having the possibility that things won’t work out. I’ve decided I’m fine with that trade-off – that’s why I did it. But if anything, the stress goes up – it’s not negative, but that whole cliff, free-falling feeling is definitely there.
AC: As you say, Kroenke is a big player, both locally and nationally. What made you decide to take that leap?
DE: I wanted to build something for myself, even if it was only a small part of it. Stan was a role model in that respect – Stan built an enormous amount for himself, and I always admired that. So I eventually said, “Am I willing to put myself out on the line and succeed or fail based on my own merits?” Maybe it was turning 39 – I had some friends who did it and were very successful, my father did it, and so, it really became appealing to me.
AC: What’s your athletic background?
DE: I didn’t play basketball in high school, and I walked on my freshman year to the Cornell University junior varsity team. I made the team, played for a year and then I stopped. I wish I hadn’t – not that I was undisciplined, but not having played in high school, I didn’t know all the basics and we had a Bobby Knight system, which was very complex and basically, I got yelled at for eight months. It was the first time in my life I didn’t enjoy playing basketball. Looking back 20 years later, I wish I had stuck it out.
AC: Is there the same sense of competition between playing a sport and what you’re doing now?
DE: I think it all depends on the person. For me, there are several lessons that are comparable. Growing up in New York City, the first lesson is that basically, you need to get along with everybody – that’s what New York is. That’s a skill that definitely applies – it helps you negotiate, it helps you deal with your clients, it helps you deal with the other side. You have to deal with a lot of different type people in sports – you’re just thrown into it, you can’t necessarily choose who you’re playing with or against. And it sounds cliche, but it really is about teamwork – you can be tremendous, but if you don’t play well as a team, you’ll probably lose. It’s the same thing here. And there’s the competition, especially in pickup basketball – you’ve got to win or you have to get off the court. I’m not in this to fail; I don’t want to do OK, and sports is like that – you don’t walk on the court saying “I hope I do OK.” This has been a part of my whole life.
AC: Look at sports as an ongoing entity. There’s a lot of public dissatisfaction – prices, contracts, steroids – how concerned are you about that?
DE: It’s definitely an issue. You can never lose sight of the fact that fans are putting up hard-earned money to be entertained, to see a terrific product, to see people they believe in – I think it’s a very important issue. It’s good to put them in the forefront so we can deal with them. I try to be positive, though – as sports expands there’s so much out there. You can go see the Mammoth or the Crush for $5, which is wonderful for a family, and you can talk to players and get their autographs – that reminds people of why they like sports to begin with.
AC: The Crush and the Mammoth are one thing – getting Broncos or Nuggets or Avalanche players doing that is something else entirely.
DE: Every year I was at Kroenke, we gave away enormous amounts of tickets to charities, for the Nuggets and the Avs. Marcus Camby is the No. 1 guy in the NBA for doing charitable events. It’s incumbent on ownership to focus on that – embracing the community when you own these teams is critical. It’s one of the things we advise the clients here – as part of every deal, every naming-rights package, you have to have community involvement at the forefront. It doesn’t sell the deal, but it’s critical for people to understand that you want to connect with the community. It builds incredible goodwill.
AC: What’s out on the horizon with sports?
DE: The games have changed, sponsorship has changed – people are looking for business activation now, a more direct business relationship as opposed to just an association. That’s been happening the last few years, and it’s a trend you’re going to continue to see. You’re going to see a focus on business activation – as a sponsor, what can you do for me? How can you drive my business? It’s not just simply as a sponsor, me giving you money. You’re going to give me money, you’re going to buy my services.
That’s not a bad thing, because when you’re both clients, you’re there to serve each other’s needs.
AC: You have two children, the older an 8-year-old. Would he rather watch a baseball or NBA playoff game or Wall Street Week in review?
DE: Ironically, my kids are not big sports fans – the 8-year-old would much rather watch “Animal Planet” than any sports at all. Early on, I decided that whatever my kids wanted to do, that was fine with me. So if they want to go out and bug hunt, I go out in the dirt and bug hunt. It’s not about me. Would I like to go to games with them? Sure, but I have just as much fun going on hikes or climbing trees, as long as they’re enjoying it.
AC: That doesn’t necessarily sound like one of the 25 most powerful people in Colorado.
DE: The thing about that is I think I was No. 23 on that list, but I’m No. 5 in my own house – after my wife, the two kids and the cat. So I’m not quite sure how I made it.
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
