From Lava Fields to the Arctic Circle | Rob Urbach

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FROM LAVA FIELDS TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE A GLIMPSE INTO THE EXCITING CAREER OF IDITAROD CEO ROB URBACH

While in High School Rob Urbach was inspired

During this period he negotiated more than 300

by reading an article in Sports Illustrated on

athlete endorsement, event sponsorship, licensing,

The Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon World

and media deals with companies such as Electronic

Championships. The challenge of swimming

Arts, Nike, Coca-Cola, Sony IBM, General Motors,

2.4 ocean miles, then biking 112 miles and then a 26.2-mile marathon through lava fields resonated with the high school junior. Two years later he found himself on the start line in Kona and became not only one of the

AT&T, Nabisco, Microsoft, and Pfizer. “During the early part of my sports career I was fortunate to work for the best of the best and absorb lessons about total dedication to one’s craft, competing, excelling under pressure, and how important attention to detail is to peak performance.”

youngest to ever finish the renowned Ironman but the event also proved later to be

“I was also fortunate to be immersed in the world of

foundational for his career.

[mergers and acquisitions] and corporate roll-up.

During his college summers, he continued to race triathlons and after Wharton Business School, Rob began his career in the sports business working for legendary sports agent David Falk who represented Michael Jordan and numerous other superstar athletes.

Our firm was purchased by SFX as the first sports acquisition of a dual roll up in both sports and entertainment. While I still had my day job on the sports initiatives I was leading several acquisitions.

We did about 14 deals in the sports world and at the same time consolidated the concert promotion business. I believe we invested in the neighborhood of $800 million and sold the business to Radio Station and Outdoor Billboard Company Clear Channel Communications for $3 billion in 2000.”

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Urbach then spent the next 4 years integrating the

Urbach then came back to the sport of Triathlon as

acquisitions, leading the marketing divisions and

he recruited for the leading role in the sport and

business development initiatives. He developed and

served for 6 and half years as the Chief Executive

produced internationally televised sporting events

Officer of USA Triathlon, overseeing all day-to-day

and provided sports marketing and corporate

operations for the National Governing Body for

consulting services. He also created sports-related

triathlon—the fastest growing sport in the U.S.

programming for this interrelated group of sports

Olympic Movement—as well as duathlon, aquathlon,

management and marketing companies that

aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, and

represented more than 800 professional athletes,

paratriathlon. As the largest multisport organization

including such stars that addition to Michael

in the world, USA Triathlon serves more than

Jordan, included the likes of Andre Agassi, David

500,000 members and sanctions more than 4,300

Beckham, and Roger Clemens. He was part of the 4-

local events each year. In addition to its focus on

person team that led the SFX sports group under

age-group athletes, race directors, coaches, and

Clear Channel’s ownership and then the SFX Sports

officials at the grassroots level, USA Triathlon

and Entertainment Group was spun out into a

manages Olympic and Paralympic teams.

separately traded public company which is now Live Nation.

So after 12 years at SFX and its predecessor companies, Urbach joined Global Sports Management and Marketing Firm Octagon as Executive Vice President. Rob Urbach oversaw the deployment of the firm’s resources around the world and led initiatives in diverse markets including South Africa, Nigeria, Turkey, Singapore, and China. He also initiated, structured, and negotiated numerous divestitures, acquisitions, and joint ventures. Octagon owns and manages events in professional soccer, tennis, golf, athletes, motorsports, running, swimming, basketball, cricket, and rugby; represents several hundred elite athletes such as Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, and manages the sports marketing investments of major global companies such as Bank America, MasterCard, and Sprint.

Image courtesy of Rob Urbach

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Under Rob Urbach’s guidance, USA

Then his career became even more interesting, as he

Triathlon reached all-time highs in membership,

became CEO in August of 2019 of the Iconic Iditarod,

youth participation, sanctioned events, certified

which like triathlon also had an intriguing genesis.

coaches and official clubs, as well as many key

Twenty years ago, he was flying to Alaska to ski, and

revenue centers, including corporate sponsorship

the actress Susan Lucci was sitting across the aisle.

and fundraising, and led the bid that awarded the

While he was not familiar with “Erica Kane” of All My

U.S. the World Championship to be held in Chicago

Children, her enthusiasm for the rugged dog sled

in 2015 and the campaign for NCAA Varsity Sport

race was contagious, as he became a follower of the

status for women. He conceived and developed

event.

several new initiatives including the Century Club; four new race series formats (Super Sprint, Retro, Splash & Dash, and Mixed Team Relay); as well as a system that is driving improvements in the race registration process (Real-Time Account Verification). With a focus on hosting safe and fair events, Rob Urbach commissioned a blue-ribbon panel of physicians to study race-related fatalities, resulting in the “Shared Responsibility” doctrine. He also introduced a platform that has since been woven into the fabric of the organization, “Sharing the Win.” This mantra captures the essence of the sport: wins on the podium, wins overcoming diabetes and obesity, wins by using triathlon to overcome drug and alcohol addictions, wins for sponsors, etc.

Urbach, who has been named Inside Triathlon magazine’s Most Influential Person, led the development of a weekly television show, the launch of the USA Triathlon Foundation, the rollout of the NCAA program, a large-scale youth membership drive and other initiatives designed to achieve strategic objectives. Moreover, under his leadership, USA Triathlon won the women’s Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and led the medal count in triathlon for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

“MY EXPERIENCE AT USA TRIATHLON IN MANAGING LARGE SCALE EVENTS, MITIGATING RISK AND ALCHEMIZING PASSION INTO BRAND VALUE WAS IDEAL IN PREPARING ME TO LEAD THE IDITAROD.” “I have been fortunate in my career in Sports to attend multiple Olympics, Super Bowls, NCAA Final Fours, World Series, NBA finals, Wimbledon, World Cups, and numerous endurance championships, but I can think of no event that is comparable to the Iditarod. A life-changing journey through the off-grid Alaska wilderness, 1,049 miles, self-reliance, storms, water, snow, ice, wind, strategy, and competition.

Iditarod mushers are extraordinary homo sapiens; tenacious adventure athletes, part Magellan, part meteorologists, part magicians, sleep deprivation ninjas, soulful dog whisperers, and 100% bad Iditarod tough through and through.

“My experience at USA Triathlon in managing large scale events, mitigating risk and alchemizing passion into brand value was ideal in preparing me to lead the Iditarod.”

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In a world that is increasingly disconnected from

Notwithstanding the coronavirus, the 48th running

nature, heritage, physicality, and even each other,

of this year’s Iditarod happened to be among the

the Iditarod provides an antidote; it’s not technology,

most challenging. This winter, Interior Alaska

analytics, or big data that gets one to Nome.

experienced one of its coldest winters on record that

Instead, it’s athletic grit, “dogged” determination,

included heavy snowfalls that continued during

and the support teams of family members, friends,

most of the race. The relentless snow, wind, and

and fans. Relatedly, it takes a lot more than a village

temperature variances took its toll on the teams, as

to stage and produce the Iditarod; an army of more

43% of the 57 starting teams were unable to finish.

than 1,500 dedicated time and talent to ensure that a complicated supply chain, checkpoints, and a gold

“Yes, I with the unprecedented storms I was in a

standard canine continuum of care are properly

hyper-aware state as dynamics were changing hour

deployed and fortified. The Iditarod Air Force,

by hour, if not minute by minute. All humans and

arguably the best assembly of 30 strong bush pilots,

dogs made it home happy and healthy, but we did

fly nearly 700 sorties braving the elements, landing

have 3 dramatic Blackhawk helicopter rescues. It

on ice, snow, and rugged terrain from dawn to dusk.

was a great leadership lesson for me: as you’re not

55 veterinarians who collectively have traveled

sure if you are a real leader if you have not lead in a

thousands of miles to provide exemplary care for our

crisis.

incredible 4-legged athletes.

Urbach has made substantial progress during his While COVID-19 was shutting down the world as we

initial months at the helm of the Iditarod. “We are in

knew it, the roughly 1049-mile sled dog race

“a race to relevance, and as I tell the team we need

traversing the Alaskan Wilderness from Anchorage

to operate like a 48-year-old start-up and innovate

to Nome persevered. The race began on March 8th

how we do business.” He has developed a fantasy

as the world was awakened to a global nightmare,

sports game, started a podcasting channel, “Iditicast,

and by the final third of the race all sporting events

tales from the trail” and positioning the Iditarod as a

across the globe were shut down, and hundreds of

thought leader in holistic dog wellness.

millions were ordered to shelter in place at home while the Iditarod stood alone. As each checkpoint brought news of quarantines, overflowing hospitals threatening the lives of thousands, the Iditarod was instantaneously innovating. Village bypass routes were engineered overnight, veterinarians were moved up the trail instead of being replenished by veterinarians who were waiting in the wings, but could not travel. The Iditarod supply chain continuously moved forward, often working without cell phone coverage or Internet connectivity.

To learn more about Rob Urbach, be sure to visit his website RobUrbach.net. Follow Rob on Twitter @RobUrbach_.