sportstyle

T here's a new player in the sports business as Todd Smith takes over as president and CEO, of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). Smith joined SFIA in late 2024 aer serving as senior VP at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Smith brings to the SFIA CEO role a strong knowledge and passion for the sports and fitness industry. Prior to joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Smith was a director of global partnerships for AEG, and his experience there provides Smith with a deep understanding of the needs of SFIA's members. sportstyle caught up with Smith early this year as he settled into his new role at SFIA. Welcome to the business. What has been your first impression so far of our little world of team sports? Todd Smith: Little world?! ere is nothing little about our industry. Having spent much of my career working in the sports industry, I came into this role with firsthand knowledge of how amazing our industry is and it is exciting to be back in the space. Anything about the business surprise you in your first few months? Every day I have the privilege of meeting with company leaders and entrepreneurs across our industry who are innovating and driving growth in ways that never cease to amaze me. How has the transition from (retired president and CEO) Tom Cove to you taking over the corner office been? Well, first off, we are a virtual organization, so there is no corner office to take over. And Tom has been an amazing colleague, partner and friend. I am incredibly grateful to him. What's a typical day been like? ere is no typical day for me, which speaks to the tre- mendous scope of work that we lead at SFIA. I prioritize spending as much time as possible meeting with our members, learning from our members and understanding how SFIA can continue to provide the maximum value possible to our members. Additionally, with the start of a new Congress and Administration, I am actively en- gaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of our industry and consumers are heard and understood. I am attending as many industry convenings and events as I can to develop new connections and ensure I am always up to date with the industry's most pressing needs. Do you have an agenda for your first year in the position? e SFIA Staff, SFIA Board of Directors and our SFIA members have been amazing teammates as I have worked tirelessly over the past months to develop 2025 goals and priority items for our organization and membership. I can't thank them enough for their support and partner- ship throughout this process. I have always been a firm believer that actions speak louder than words, so rather than me list out our agenda items here, I'd ask that you please observe our actions across 2025 to get your answer. What do you see as the challenges — and opportu- nities — for SFIA? I could not be more excited about the many opportunities that exist for our industry, particularly as we enter an unprecedented 10-year stretch of the U.S. hosting major global sporting events. Our industry will be on center stage in front of a global audience and we do not plan to miss the moment! What do you see as SFIA's continued role in the business? As I noted earlier, SFIA should serve as an extension of our members' teams, so our role will vary based on what each individual member needs from us. One personal question: You probably get asked this all the time since you are a pretty tall guy. Did you (do you) play basketball? Any other team sports background? Ha. I actually do not get asked that question. But for the record, I am a terrible basketball player. My sophomore year at UCLA, I was fortunate to walk onto the men's volleyball team. But at 6'4", I was one of the shortest members of the team! When we talk again in about a year in these pages what do you want to have accomplished? For a reader who is reading this interview and has not previously interacted with SFIA, my goal is that in a year from now when they read our follow-up interview, they will have had some type of new touchpoint with SFIA — whether it is reading one of our articles, seeing one of the research reports we publish, attending one of our events or becoming a new member. And for those readers who currently engage with SFIA, my hope is that in a year from now those readers can say SFIA has expanded the impact we have on them and/or their business. n TODD SMITH, PRESIDENT & CEO SPORTS & FITNESS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (SFIA) 42 • March/April 2025 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com TEAM ONE-ON-ONE Every day I have the privilege of meeting with company leaders and entrepreneurs across our industry who are innovating and driving growth in ways that never cease to amaze me.

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