NORTH CANTON − The Cleveland Cavaliers demonstrate their penchant for teamwork even when they’re not on the court, whether it’s road trips or at the All-Star game.
Bill Fagan, a business executive for the NBA basketball team, shared the anecdote to illustrate what has helped propel the Cavs to the top of the Eastern Conference while holding the league’s best record for most of the season.
Fagan, speaking Wednesday to business students, faculty and alumni at the DeVille School of Business at Walsh University, said the bond among the players is applicable to life and achieving success in the business world.
Fagan is president of business operations at Rock Entertainment Group, the parent company encompassing the Cavaliers; the G League affiliate Cleveland Charge; the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters; Rock Entertainment Sports Network and Rocket Arena.
“We like to call this team a one-taxi team,” said Fagan said, who oversees communications, marketing, franchise properties and commercial operations for Rock Entertainment. “What that means is … when the team goes on the road … they have some down time in between the games, and they have an opportunity to do what they want, and on an average team, the guys would kind of do their own thing … (but) on this team, they go to dinner together, they want to be together, and you see that.
“You can’t recruit that,” he said. “And it’s very, very real.”
During All-Star game festivities in San Francisco, the Cavs hosted a party. “Every single coach showed up,” Fagan said. “I remember wondering, ‘Are the players going to show up?,’ and then in walks Donovan (Mitchell), in walks Darius (Garland), in walks Evan (Mobley). All three guys show up. Whose behind them? Their families.”
After the players said a few words, they invited their mothers to come up for photos.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Fagan said. “They were so proud of their sons, just to be in that room, and (the players) had plenty of other places to go. They had sponsor engagements, they had many other commitments, but they were present, and they wanted to be there, and they were so proud to be there together, and their family were so proud of them.
“And it’s just a true representation of what makes this team so different,” he said.
Fagan works for billionaire entrepreneur Dan Gilbert
Fagan was the keynote speaker at the 54th Business Club Scholarship Luncheon at the Barrette Business and Community Center on the Walsh campus.
Rock Entertainment Group (REG), a sports and entertainment holding company, is chaired by Dan Gilbert, a billionaire and majority owner of the Cavaliers. He’s also majority owner and co-founder of Rocket Mortgage, an online mortgage lender.
Community service and customer service are guiding principles at REG, said Fagan, a Miami University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
“We’re looking for continual improvement in everything we do,” he said. “It all adds up, and we take that mentality to everything we do.”
“… Every dollar we collect goes back into … our teams … our fan and guest experience … and back into the community,” Fagan said. “… When we go through and we ask for an extra 50 cents for a hot dog or an extra dollar for parking or an extra $10 for a playoff ticket, whatever that may be, we can look our customers and guests in the face and say we promise you that those dollars are being reinvested in these three buckets because of our owner who is committed to long-term sustainability and not short-term profits.
“… It’s not about flipping the team for the next owner,” he said of Gilbert. “It’s commitment to community, it’s commitment to Northeast Ohio, and we’re privileged to have that opportunity.”
Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center update
Fagan gave updates on some Rock Entertainment Group-related projects.
The Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center will feature cutting-edge technology, Fagan said.
Scheduled to open in roughly two years, the facility “will enable our team to replicate through video technology what it’s actually like in an opponent’s arena,” he said. “Imagine game 7 in the Boston Garden, the game’s on the line, the crowd is going bonkers, and you’re the road team, the Cavs.
“It’s impossible to replicate that today, but with technology, our team will have that opportunity to pipe in the sound with all of the effects (and) replicate that,” Fagan continued. “And we’re excited about the competitive advantage that will give us. Perhaps for a short period of time, until the next team probably copies the same technology, but it’s all about the inches and just getting 1% better and having that advantage.”
In addition to serving the Cavaliers, the facility will offer “state of the art service for sports performance,” including rehab and surgery, Fagan said.
The project will anchor the Cuyahoga Riverfront Masterplan and a $3.5 billion riverfront development project between Bedrock Real Estate and the city of Cleveland.
‘The original reality TV show is live sports.’
The Rock Entertainment Sports Network has grown to reach nearly 2 million households in roughly nine months, Fagan said.
“The demand for live content is through the roof,” he said. “This is here to stay.
“… The original reality TV show is live sports,” Fagan said. “So this network is actually positioned to put a spotlight on Ohio sports unlike anything before it.”
More than 150 applications before Fagan got a job
Fagan used his own personal success story to inspire those in attendance.
Following college graduation in 2004, he went looking for jobs, and despite having worked internships, he wasn’t getting any in-person interviews from more than 150 applications he submitted.
That changed when he heard back from the Cavaliers.
Fagan had applied for an entry-level ticket position. Although the interview went well, there wasn’t a job opening. But the Cavaliers agreed to hold a spot for him until it was available nine months later.
However, the 21-year-old Fagan was eager to get into the workforce. And the Cavaliers connection led to an opportunity with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.
Fagan, who completed his Master of Business Administration studies at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, would later become the chief operating officer of The Aspire Group, now part of Playfly Sports, a global sports and entertainment firm.
“It took over 20 years,” he said of returning to Cleveland to work with Rock Entertainment Group and the Cavaliers.
Fagan’s experience taught him to never give up. Keys to success, both as a company and individual employee, include resilience, adaptability, collaborating, relationship building and goal setting, he said.
Focus on making incremental improvements, he said. “Those inches add up to greatness.”
“A championship mentality is not unique to the game of basketball,” Fagan added. “… It’s a mindset and has an application across industries.”
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com and on X @ebalintREP and Instagram at ed_balint