Alum Interview - Entrepreneur and Educator Dave King
Like most entrepreneurial success stories, Triple Crown Sports was born out of a simple idea. Founders Dave (BA-81, MA-82) and Annette (Adams) King (BA-81) wanted to develop a high-quality sporting event that would be more than just a competition. It would be an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.&nbsp;
This concept proved to be an incredibly popular one&mdash;what began with a single slow-pitch softball tournament in Meeker, Colo., has grown over the past 32 years into a portfolio of more than 300 events across the country with airplay on major networks like CBS Sports and ESPN.&nbsp;
This fall, as Triple Crown prepares for the next big step in its development, King will be bringing his decades of CEO experience back to UNC&rsquo;s campus as the instructor of a brand new course on the fundamentals of family-run business.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a development person,&rdquo; said King. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the coach in me. If I can equip someone with fundamental principles and repetitive behavior that will advance them toward their goals, I know I&rsquo;m doing something worthwhile.&rdquo;
That affinity for personal development is what drew King to UNC in 1977 to pursue his studies in recreation management. &ldquo;I was a student-athlete and several schools were trying to recruit me for track, but only UNC offered the caliber of academic program I was looking for,&rdquo; recalled King.
As part of his UNC curriculum, King secured a student internship with Grand Junction Parks &amp;amp; Recreation, a position that presented him with his first opportunity to oversee a national-level sports tournament. &ldquo;That experience triggered several thought processes for me,&rdquo; said King. &ldquo;Two months later we were putting on our first Triple Crown event.&rdquo;
Though Triple Crown has expanded far beyond its mom and pop origins, a supportive, distinctly familial ethos continues to characterize its day-to-day operations. Observant visitors may notice a map of the United States on his office wall&mdash;it has pins marking the location of every scholarship athlete he&rsquo;s coached and advised through the college recruitment process over the past decade-and-a-half. There are more than 170 of them.
But family dynamics within the business world are not without their challenges, as King is quick to point out. Best practices for navigating the complex relationships that define a family business have been a continuous object of study for him since completing Harvard&rsquo;s Executive Program in 2009.
&ldquo;At least 70 percent of all businesses in the world are family-owned, passed from one generation to the next,&rdquo; said King. &ldquo;Without a strategic plan to maintain their structure during times of transition, it&rsquo;s very rare that those businesses will simply luck into a smooth succession. That&rsquo;s where you get power struggles and infighting&mdash;&amp;#8217;Game of Thrones&amp;#8217; can be a surprisingly close point of comparison.&rdquo;
Returning to UNC to share his years of expertise in family business with Monfort College of Business students is a crucial feature of King&rsquo;s own succession plan&mdash;shifting his focus to the higher calling of education as he prepares to pass Triple Crown&rsquo;s torch on to the next generation.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been immersed in the psychological and strategic elements of sustainable family business for so long that I really feel I have some value to add to the curriculum,&rdquo; explained King. &ldquo;Experience also gives you the benefit of being able to help others learn from your past mistakes. The saying that&rsquo;s served me best is, &lsquo;If you weren&rsquo;t humbled today, you will be tomorrow&mdash;so it&rsquo;s best just to remain humble.&rsquo;&rdquo;&nbsp;
Many thanks to Mr. King for taking the time to share his insights with us!
Are you looking to expand your professional skill set? In addition to Mr. King&amp;#8217;s new course, the&nbsp;Monfort College of Business&nbsp;is launching its MBA program this fall. It&amp;#8217;s an exciting new program designed to suit the busy schedules of working professionals. You can get more info&nbsp;here.&nbsp;