What I like

What I Like: David Butler, CEO, Paciolan

Published September 5, 2011

PHOTO: JIM CONNER

PROFESSIONAL

What I Like …

■ An insight:  Focus on the customer’s success, and everything else works out.

■ An influential person in my career: My father, who showed me there is no substitute for hard work and integrity.

■ An out-of-the-box idea: The NHL’s Winter Classic. It has created a fantastic new platform to attract fans to the game.

■ A timeless idea: Do the right thing.

■ A pro league or team business initiative: The University of Texas has done an amazing job innovating in college athletics. They think strategically and execute extremely well as a team.

■ A business deal: The NFL signing a long-term contract with the players where both sides win.

■ A strategy: Focus on long-term success by building lifetime customer relationships.

■ A hire: Bringing back Steve Jobs changed Apple forever and made it the most valuable company in America.

■ A trend: Internet access on airplanes. What a great improvement in staying connected while traveling.

■ A brand: Apple, who really understands the customer and makes everything so intuitive and easy.

■ An innovation: Using social media to engage fans daily in communicating about their favorite team, and in the process allowing them to share their passion with their friends.

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■ A sports event: Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, where the Saints completed their amazing year by bringing the people of New Orleans a much-needed boost with a championship.

■ A story that bears watching: How the fan experience changes with mobile everywhere, including in the stadium or arena.

■ An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: The iPad. It’s just amazing in every way.

■ A fantasy job: Starting pitcher for my Los Angeles Dodgers.

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■ A sports facility: Cowboys Stadium is unmatched for experiencing a game, and the HD screen really is amazing.


What I Like About …

■ Sports: There is nothing like the excitement of being at the game.

■ Sports media: When you get a new insight into your favorite team or players that brings you closer to the game.

■ Sports technology: When it comes together to enhance the overall fan experience.

■ Competing: There is nothing like the excitement of doing your best and winning.

■ The future of sports business: Fans continue to want more access, more information and a more personal involvement, and that passion is a great sign for our industry.

■ Sports fans: How a shared passion can bring so many different people together for a common goal.


What I Would Like To …

■ Change: The negative tone that sometimes overwhelms public discussions on key issues.

■ Change in what I do: Spend more time with customers talking about what they want to accomplish.

■ See: The Winter Classic in Philadelphia.

■ See more of in sports: The sportsmanship from the Stanley Cup Final, where the teams shake hands on the ice after the battle is over.

■ See more of in sports business: Partnerships that enhance the fan experience.

■ See less of in sports: Trash talking.

■ See less of in sports business: Labor issues dominating sports story lines.

■ Eliminate: Phones and BlackBerrys used in meetings.


What I Don’t Like ...

■ Pet peeve: People coming late for meetings.

■ In sports: Rules that slow down the flow of the game.

■ In business: People who aren’t honest and straightforward.


PERSONAL

What I Like …

■ That would surprise those who know me: Off-roading in the High Sierras.

■ About myself: I always try to make things right.

■ Hero: Pat Tillman.

■ Players: Matt Kemp, Bobby Ryan.

■ Teams: Flyers, Dodgers, Ducks and Lakers.

■ Possession: My iPhone, because it is amazing how many things it does so easily.

■ Memento: Seatback from Dodger Stadium signed by World Series-winning team.

■ Book: “Mammoth: The Sierra Legend,” by Martin Forstenzer.

■ Authors: John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer.

■ Chores: Working on the house.

■ Hobbies: Surfing, snowboarding, golf and fishing.

■ Trip: Ireland with the family.

■ Vacation spots: Mammoth Lakes, Cabo and St. Barth’s.

■ IPad app: Star Walk: You point your iPad at the night sky, and it shows you all the constellations.

■ TV: “Monday Night Football.”

■ Concert: Jimmy Buffett, because it’s more of a party than a concert.

■ Artist: Monet. It just transports you to a different place and time.

■ Movies: “The Blues Brothers,” “Miracle on Ice.”

■ Food: My wife’s chicken marsala.

■ Dessert: Chocolate bread pudding.

■ Drink: Pahlmeyer’s Red Cabernet.

■ Scent: The smell of the ocean.

■ Car: My BMW convertible.

■ Singers: Zac Brown, Jackson Browne, Jennifer Nettles.

■ Quote: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”