With the recent ownership change in Minnesota, longtime Timberwolves chief operating officer Ryan Tanke is joining the Rockets in the same position.<\/p>\n
With the recent ownership change<\/a> in Minnesota, longtime Timberwolves chief operating officer (COO) Ryan Tanke is joining the Houston Rockets<\/a> in the same position.<\/p>\n Keith Schubert and Chandler France of the Minneapolis\/St. Paul Business Journal and Houston Business Journal, respectively, first reported the news<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to his LinkedIn page<\/a>, Tanke had served as COO with the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> and the WNBA\u2019s Minnesota Lynx since 2019. For the previous seven years, he was chief revenue officer with the same organizations.<\/p>\n Sports Business Journal has more<\/a>:<\/p>\n Tanke takes the COO role from Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations with the Rockets, who had been \u201cserving in both roles concurrently.\u201d He joins the organization with \u201csubstantial experience in arena development.\u201d<\/p>\n Tanke was \u201cpart of a six-person design team who led\u201d the $150-million renovation effort for Minnesota\u2019s Target Center. He recently led\u00a0\u201canother eight-figure investment into the facility<\/a>, which added and expanded premium spaces, among other upgrades.\u201d<\/p>\n In Houston, the 23-year-old Toyota Center is reportedly in need<\/a> of $635.8-million in \u201cmaintenance and upgrades\u201d over the next 20 years.<\/p>\n Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is \u201ceyeing a comprehensive modernization\u201d after having \u201cinvested millions into the venue in recent years, including renovating premium spaces and adding a new center-hung scoreboard.\u201d<\/p>\n In a self-funded, $10.5-million project<\/a>, Fertitta and the Rockets will soon replace Toyota Center\u2019s 17,000 bowl seats. The project will start by October 2025 and conclude by July 2026.<\/p>\n Sheirr will continue in her role as president of business operations.<\/p>\n Fertitta is also reportedly pursuing a WNBA expansion franchise<\/a> for Houston, which could make Tanke\u2019s history with the Lynx useful.<\/p>\n