Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/24/2010 at 2:27pm

Sports and business are becoming increasingly intertwined. Sports entertainment has become big business and successful sports figures often find another outlet for their competitive energies through business endeavors.

We find two examples of the merging worlds of sports and entertainment from today’s Northwest Arkansas Business Journal 40 Under 40 Banquet. Razorback Sports Properties general manager Ryan Gribble was on the list as was former Razorback/New York Giants football player Ryan Hale, who now works as director of business development for The Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics.

Hale and Gribble were honored Tuesday along with other members of the NWABJ 40 Under 40 Class.

Here’s more on Gribble:

Ryan Gribble went all the way to Japan just to get home.

An Arkansas native, Gribble attended Westminster, where he met Phil Bradley. Bradley played pro baseball in Japan and helped Gribble get a job there.

Gribble made a mark by introducing Japan’s first westernized mascot, for Hiroshima. He later helped strike lucrative deals with 7-Eleven and U.S. Cellular for the Chicago White Sox.

Both helped him return to Arkansas in 2008 as part of the ISP team that handles University of Arkansas athletic department advertising, sponsorship and multimedia rights.

And part of Hale’s profile:

After two full seasons, he took a job for Arkansas Athletes Outreach in Fayetteville, coaching athletes to reach their full potential.

Soon, he was gaining valuable experience in business leadership as a vice president of commercial lending at Arvest Bank and later, senior vice president and chief lending officer at United Bank.

What brought him to The Soderquist Center was that same interest in leadership, corporate culture and what he calls “the human element” in business.

Daily, he works with senior leaders and executive teams, helping them to operate and communicate more effectively and plan strategically. What drives Hale is his opportunity to grow in lifelong relationships, he said.

Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach — now a successful business man — was the keynote speaker. Staubach used recollections from his playing days with the Dallas Cowboys during his address to the 40 Under 40 luncheon.

Read more from Rob Keys on Staubach's appearance: here.

Tagged: Northwest Arkansas Business Journal, Ryan Gribble, Ryan Hale, Dallas Cowboys, Roger Staubach, Arkansas Razorbacks