Maryland Entrepreneur

An American entrepreneur that I admire but don't necessarily cheer for is Baltimore Ravens majority owner, Steve Bisciotti . Being the die hard New Orleans Saints fan that I am, you will never see me sporting purple and black, but as silly as it may sound coming from an opponent. Steve Bisciotti in my opinion exemplifies a successful American entrepreneur. You may wonder why I am not doing my assignment on the Saints owner, Tom Benson, and its simple. He made his money in the automobile business selling cars. So therefore I don't trust him.

Bisciotti was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Baltimore from roughly the age of 1. He went on to attend Severna Park High School in Anne Arundel County and eventually earned his college degree in liberal arts from Salisbury (MD) State in 1982. After being unemployed at age 23, he and his cousin Jim Davis, started their own staffing company in the aerospace and technology sectors with second hand equipment. After the first year they produced $1.5 million in sales. Today Aerotek/Allegis Group is currently the 3rd-largest staffing firm in the United States – 6th in the world (Ravens Biography). Bisciotti’s incredible business success was not well known to the general public as he and his business partners kept a low profile. It wasn't until 2000 when Bisciotti's name catapulted into the lime light and many "public" fortunes. That is when he purchased part ownership of the Ravens for $600 million (Forbes 08 Team Value). Something that he handles with class and supreme professionalism. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a work function in 2006 and he was as cool and smooth as he appears on television. In addition, one afternoon driving down I-95 I heard his phone interview that he had with local disc jockey Anita Marks on ESPN radio. He recalled how the Ravens weren't his initial franchise in mind when deciding on purchasing a team. Especially considering Art Modell, then current Ravens owner, was a good friend. He explained how at first he had been a partner of a franchise group that bid on the Minnesota Vikings when their franchise was for sale in the late 90's. However, there was just one problem he was told that he would be alone a lot. His wife would not be in favor of the move from Maryland (Silverman). Obviously things did not work out in Minnesota, and he and Model agreed that Bisciotti was to be part owner with an option to be majority owner in 04. In the deal, the option allowed him to buy the majority stake in the franchise for the remaining 51% for $325 million (Hensley). He went it to detail on what has made him successful and it was because of the people he has hired to run his businesses whether it be CEO and President of Aerotek Thomas Thornton or General Manager of the Ravens, Ozzie Newsome.

Bisciotti's business savvy and instincts are top notch. Case in point was his decision to fire long time coach and previous Super Bowl Champion with the club, Brian Billick. Billick had led the Ravens down a path of mediocrity and Bisciotti and the Ravens brass made a radical move. They hired an inexperienced coach with a reputation for discipline in John Harbaugh. It paid off with a return to the playoffs in 08, and its business moves such as this that has allowed the 3rd youngest owner in the NFL to be successful (Forbes 08 Team Value). Bisciotti stated on the ravens website - "I’m very active, but would not describe myself as an owner who is involved in all of the day-to-day decisions. I want to be included and continually educated. But, in the end, I want those qualified in their respective fields of expertise to make the decisions. I don’t know more about acquiring players than Ozzie does. I don’t have the coaching expertise that [the head coach] has..."(Ravens Biography). Qualities such as these display superior leadership and our needed to run a successful business. I recall Carnegie said "hurting people does not change them, it is never called for and honest appreciation gets results where criticism and ridicule fails (Carnegie 28).

I am someone who is interested in the business side of the sports industry and he is a quality personality to admire. Of course the sport on the field, diamond, pitch or court is fantastic and fascinating and so are the players themselves. But, the self made businessman behind these sports franchises are in my opinion the true icons. In 08, Bisciotti had the Ravens on the Forbes top 10 list for most valuable sports NFL franchises' and he didn't even play sports beyond high school, go figure.

Works Cited:

"Baltimore Ravens - Biography." Staff - Overview. 12 Feb. 2009

http://www.baltimoreravens.com/People/Staff/Executive/Steve_Bisciotti.aspx

"NFL Team Values for 2008". Staff - Overview. 09.10.08

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/30/sportsmoney_nfl08_Baltimore-Ravens_309106.html

Hensley, Jamison - Baltimore Sun - March 21, 2003 "Bisciotti plans to buy out Modell"

http://www.kdvr.com/bal-modell032103,0,3466806.story

Silverman, Barry - Press Box - Issue 3.32: August 7, 2008 "Bisciotti Hits the Airwaves"

http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=3955

Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Ed. Arthur R. Pell. New York: Pocket, 1990 (28)