Molly Wurdack-Folt was promoted to Vice President, Partnership Activation in March 2019. In her new role, Molly is responsible for leading the Corporate Partnerships’ activation group across the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Entertainment arms of the business; ensuring world-class experiences for partners through exceptional service, cutting-edge activation plans and flawless execution. She also drives renewal sales efforts and developing cross-venue, multi-platform deals that leverage the sports & entertainment group’s unparalleled portfolio of properties.
Previously, Molly held the role of Director of Marketing Strategy for Olympia Entertainment. In that role, Wurdack managed the Corporate Partnership Marketing department, which she oversaw for more than seven years as the Director of Ticket Service and Corporate Partnership Marketing. She also sought out new opportunities for Red Wings sponsorships, working closely with the NHL and fellow NHL teams to grow revenue and expand relationships with key partners. Additionally, Molly managed two departments within the Marketing & Communications umbrella – Community Relations / The Detroit Red Wings Foundation and Guest Experience, which oversaw the Guest Connect Program focusing on guest experiences at Little Caesars Arena, the Fox Theatre, Comerica Park, and three outdoor amphitheaters.
Wurdack started with the Red Wings in May 2008 as the Manager of Ticket Service and Retention. In that role, she developed and implemented a new business unit, the Ticket Service and Retention department, which assisted in growing ticket retention and increased season ticket holder satisfaction. Wurdack was promoted to Director of Ticket Sales and Corporate Partnership Marketing in 2010 and oversaw client retention for all Red Wings season ticket holders, providing servicing, retention and upselling to these clients, along with overseeing the corporate partnership marketing team to fulfill and execute all sponsorship contracts. Prior to joining the Red Wings, Wurdack served as a Marketing Partnership Staff Assistant for the Miami Dolphins where she assisted in the execution and fulfillment of marketing partnership contracts.
Wurdack earned a Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology and a minor in business from Ohio University and went on to earn her Master’s degree in sports and business administration from Ohio University as well. Wurdack currently resides in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with her husband, Jason, son, Beckett and is expecting her second child this spring. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
Can you describe a “typical” day in the life for you and your family on a game-night or event day?
Every day is different for me. A lot of that is driven by my husband’s work schedule. He’s a physician and his hours vary greatly – it could be afternoon, morning, or night shifts – so we are in constant communication about who is picking up, taking to preschool, swimming, etc.
I’m normally the one that gets Beckett up and makes breakfast in the morning. I am more of a morning person than my husband and it’s nice to spend the time together. We’re only ten minutes from daycare, so if I am dropping him off we leave around 7:45 AM. Then, I’m off on my thirty to forty minute commute to downtown Detroit.
On game days my husband normally picks up my son, and then I’m home around 10:00 PM. There are times we have to get a sitter who picks Beckett up from school and watches him until my husband or I get home. We don’t have family in the area, so that makes it a little more challenging. However, we’ve found some really great sitters who can pick-up [Beckett] early if need be.
What project or professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Being a part of the construction and opening of Little Caesars Arena. We worked really hard in the years leading up to that date to make sure the building was ready when the doors opened in September 2017. I was involved with both season ticket and corporate partnership planning throughout that process.
With season ticket holders, I played a significant role in the relocation process, pricing strategy, and go-to-market plan. Our process for relocating season ticket holders was very different than other new arenas or stadiums. We elected to bring every single season ticket holder, individually, through the preview center over eighteen months – all 3,500 accounts. A lot of times when buildings are preparing to open, the organization sends out a link with information about comparable seat options and pricing. Then, season ticket holders have the opportunity to electronically accept or decline the offered seat location. However, we needed people to understand how drastically different the new building was; so, we felt we needed to have those (sometimes) difficult discussions, and talk about their options, prices, and benefits in person.
For sponsorship, I worked very closely with the Director of Partnership Sales to develop new rate cards and assets, our go-to-market strategy, and then tier the partnerships accordingly. At the Joe we had a lot of a little with no differentiation between a $1 million and $50,000 partners. We established a hierarchy with Landmark, Cornerstone, and Foundation partners, worked with outside agencies to evaluate those numbers, and then developed the strategy to ultimately go to market. Our staff was also trained to ask for dollar amounts that our team had never even imagined we could ask for, and we created talking points to help with the justification behind that ask.
When you open a new building, you have the opportunity to learn the good, bad, and ugly from previously opened stadiums and arenas. We made countless trips to other areas to research things like wayfinding, concession stand branding, etc. It was a two to three-year process. Ironically, I was on maternity leave with Beckett when we first broke ground in 2014. I can recall sitting in my bed while he was sleeping next to me and I streamed the groundbreaking. We’ve come a long way since then!
What is next for the Red Wings and Olympia Entertainment now that Little Caesars Arena is open and started to find its place in downtown Detroit?
Little Caesars Arena 2.0 – which is continuing to build and improve upon year one within the building and the additional development opportunities in and around The District Detroit.
As we continue to host events in the building, we’ve realized that there are things that aren’t working or that need to be adjusted for one reason or another. We’re constantly looking at how our building operates; how sponsors are integrated; and how we interact with season ticket holders.
In the sponsorship world specifically, it has been a learning process since we opened. Many of the deals we executed were sold 2+ years in advance of opening the arena. Therefore, we didn’t have a full understanding of how everything would come together. We are proactively working with partners to continuously improve upon their activation, integration and overall experience.
The guest experience is also a huge area of focus because that’s such a controllable element in all the venues we manage (Little Caesars Arena, Comerica, Fox Theatre, and our outdoor amphitheaters). We’re thinking about what the overall guest experience means across all our venues and how the feedback of our guests drives business decisions. We have a lot of insight into what guests are saying and are trying to build consistency across venues.
There is also a strong focus on development in and around The District Detroit, which is a fifty block area around the arena. You’ll start to see a lot of groundbreaking in the next year to year and a half, led by our sister company Olympia Development.
How has being a Mom made you a better employee or leader?
Being a Mom has given me more patience, better listening skills, and a stronger appreciation for the differences that everyone has in their life and what they may be going through.
I think back to my younger professional years, before I had Beckett, and it was all about just getting the job done and I don’t think I appreciated the true sense of living in the moment. It was just about checking the box, and maybe that was a function of having a large workload. I worked endless hours, went in early and left late, and always questioned why people needed to leave early. Untill I walked in their shoes, I didn’t understand the need for flexible hours. Now, due to my responsibilities outside of work, I spend much more time being strategic and thinking things through.
Have you noticed more or less difficulty in being away from home now that Beckett is older?
I may be unconventional, but I didn’t have a hard time going back to work. Of course, the first day was tough but I feel as though I am a better Mom because I work. However, as I look to the future – the next year and beyond, I do struggle with what happens when school gets out at 3:30 or 4:00 PM and activities start to happen between 4:00 and 6:00 PM. How do you manage it all?
Do you have other “Mom Mentors” or parents working in sports to help guide you through parenthood and professional life?
I have had some tremendous female mentors in the sports industry but only a few of them have been moms themselves. There have been so few who have been moms, and while I have learned a ton from their leadership and guidance, it’s probably a major contributing factor as to why I waited longer to have children. I had a strong focus on my career in the early years.
Even over a decade after starting my career there are still not a lot of female mentors who are moms that I do business with in the industry. Hopefully, the next generation of women can have more females to emulate within the business.
What advice would you give to someone managing (or who works closely with) a Sports Biz Mom or soon-to-be Mom – particularly one who is not a parent themselves?
Your employees shouldn’t be treated differently whether they’re a Mom, an elderly person who doesn’t like to drive at night, or a millennial. We need to change our approach to how we look at colleagues. Of course, not every exception will be applicable to every individual; but in my opinion, we don’t need to approach work hours as we have historically within sports and entertainment.
A year ago we [Olympia Entertainment] rolled out a flexible hours and work from home policy. Not everyone is eligible and not everyone can participate – for example, someone who works at a box office window. However, our company is conservative and the fact that Olympia Entertainment was able to look at things differently and determine that this is the way of the world and it’s where companies are going is a great thing.
It’s a great benefit. It helps in recruitment when we’re looking to attract talent and it allows for unconventional ways to get the job done. There may be someone who works really well at night compared to in the morning. I’m probably getting more out of that person allowing them to work 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM than 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. If you’ve done your job as a manager to hire the right people and be the best manager for them, they will go to work for you.
What non-traditional benefits do you think would help to make the life of a Sports Biz Mom easier?
The first thing that stands out is that companies need to have better family leave. Just because I’m a woman and I deliver a baby does not mean the person next to me who adopts should not have the same benefits. This also goes for fathers and paternity leave. The partner’s responsibilities at home after bringing home a new baby are just as important as those that delivered the child.
One other benefit that would make life easier is an at work concierge program. One of our sponsors provides this service to their colleagues and has seen tremendous returns and gratitude from colleagues. The company fronts the cost of two employees who are concierge specialists, meaning they do errands for the colleagues that work there. They’ll pick-up the dry cleaning, make a return at Target, etc. Outside of work, the time spent on minute tasks is endless. If I had someone to do those things while I’m at work it would be priceless.
Lastly, I believe companies need to do a better job of training Moms to go on maternity leave. There should be a process in place to educate both men and women on preparing for leave. For example, basics on paperwork, what to expect when you come back, and what services the company provides when you return. This would alleviate a lot of stress for new parents.
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SPORTS BIZ MOM KEYS TO THE GAME:
Molly was one of the first people I approached with my idea for this blog, and I am so excited to finally share her story. Her encouragement helped give me the boost I needed to make this site happen and I hope her story helps another Mom believe that exceling in her career and growing her family are not mutually exclusive. Here are my key takeaways from our conversation:
- We need more family leave training/education: This idea seems like a no-brainer to me for most companies, but is one that is often overlooked. The process for filing for maternity leave, short-term disability, signing your child up for benefits, etc., is confusing and often comes with tight deadlines. We can help parents better prepare for a major life transition by providing full support and instruction. I also think it’s important to make sure anyone with supervisory responsibilities is trained in how to best support a new parent at the office.
- No family nearby? You can make it work! Having little to no family nearby is a challenge many parents in the sports industry face and has been something that I have personally had to overcome. I was encouraged to hear Molly’s success in finding sitters to pick-up her son when she and her husband are both working late. If this is cost prohibitive, consider an “babysitting swap” with a friend or other parent you trust. When you’re able, their kids can come over for a play date so they can also get a break. It may take some planning, but you can make it work!
- There’s no shame in wanting to work: I loved that Molly so honestly shared that she didn’t struggle with going back to work and that it’s helped to make her a better leader. If you’re excited to go back to work after leave, that doesn’t mean you don’t love your child, and that you should feel guilty. It means you’re going to set an awesome example for your family of what hard work and passion can accomplish. We have to quit “should-ing” on ourselves!