Vinik Creates Umbrella Company For Tampa Sports, Entertainment

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced the creation of the new umbrella company to oversee its sports and entertainment entities in Tampa.

Vinik Sports Group will not only serve as the parent company for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the lease-holding entity for Amalie Arena and other sports and entertainment assets, it becomes the umbrella brand for three new business verticals: VSG Commercial Sales, VSG Facilities and VSG Live.

Strategic Property Partners LLC (the development company created with Cascade Investment LLC to focus on the Water Street Tampa development) and Vinik Family Office LLC remain separate entities.

"I am pleased to move our organization forward in this exciting new direction," Vinik said about the creation of VSG. "We have a wonderfully talented leadership team that has worked well with our dedicated staff to transform the Tampa Bay Lightning, Amalie Arena and our related businesses. We look forward to sharing our expertise in the industry with others that share our values while they look to grow their businesses and the relationships with those that they serve."

From a branding perspective, Vinik Sports Group will be marketed locally and regionally as a leader in the sports and entertainment industry that can assist other companies with facility management, live event creation and execution, partnership development and ticket sales. A new website, viniksportsgroup.com, has been launched as well. The organization will use the hashtag #VinikSportsGroup for its social channels.

"On behalf of our leadership team and our employees, I thank Jeff Vinik for the opportunity as we create Vinik Sports Group," said Chief Executive Officer Steve Griggs. "We'd like to share our expertise, locally and regionally, with those that think we can help their sports and entertainment businesses. In the 10 years that Jeff and his family have owned the Lightning, his name has become synonymous with world-class service and performance along with a community-first value system. These become the pillars of Vinik Sports Group."

VSG Commercial Sales drives revenue for a multitude of businesses, leveraging experienced partnerships and ticketing teams backed by consumer marketing and analytics. In addition to handling all the sales functions (tickets, suites, partnerships) for the Tampa Bay Lightning, VSG Commercial Sales oversees multimedia rights for the University of South Florida's Athletic Department and a digital media company, The Identity Tampa Bay, with a focus on partnership development. It has also assisted in ticket sales functions for WWE's WrestleMania 36, coming to Tampa in April. This division is being managed by Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Jarrod Dillon.

It already manages and operates Amalie Arena, Yuengling Center on the campus at the University of South Florida and Embarc Collective, a nonprofit that helps Tampa Bay's startup talent build thriving companies. This division is being managed by company Executive Vice President Darryl Benge.

VSG Live offers full-service event management expertise including booking, marketing and operating live event experiences throughout Tampa Bay. In addition to managing all events at Amalie Arena and Yuengling Center, VSG Live recently reached an agreement with the Tampa Sports Authority to serve as a ticketing outlet for select events at Raymond James Stadium. This division is being managed by Executive Vice President Kevin Preast.