Q & A with Leo Kiely

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June 21st, 2014

Q & A with Leo Kiely

Today’s TPGF Interview is with Leo Kiely the newest member of The Perfect Game Foundation Advisory Council.

Leo has had a spectacular business career including stops at Procter & Gamble, Wilson Sporting Goods, Frito-Lay, and finally the first Non Family Member to ever run the Coors Brewing Company!

He retired as CEO of Miller Coors after 20 years and currently lives in Colorado and Southern California where he remains very active with business and family – he spent some time with us talking about his career

 · What was your first job?
o   Cutting lawns in a cemetery in Long Branch NJ ! Seriously!  But my first ‘professional/career’ job was as a Brand Assistant with Procter & Gamble working the Gleem toothpaste brand
·You have mentored a lot of young people throughout your career – did you some mentors as you were growing up?
o   Absolutely and without them I might still be cutting lawns in that cemetery!  Bill Weintraub was my first boss at P&G (he was the Gleem Brand Manager) and he helped me immeasurably. We remain friends to this day and had several occasions to work together after those early P&G days. Another guy was Jack Fette at Wilson Sporting Goods (when he was not doing his Wilson job Jack was a long time NFL Referee!). Jack taught me things I still use today – totally a world class guy and dear friend. Also Bill Connell who was the Crest Brand Manager who gave me countless hours of advice/counsel and support.
·Your business career is Hall of Fame stuff – how did you manage the work/family balance issue?
o   I always believed that you had to be passionate about your work as well as passionate about your family. For me that translated into making time for staying in touch on a regular basis no matter where in the world I might be on business. It also meant blocking out time for family activity – regardless of the business pressures of that day
·You have worked with many companies involved in sports (one way or another) – any memorable moments from those days?
o   Yes ! I have fond memories of negotiating with Magic Johnson and his dad about a shoe endorsement deal when I was at Wilson – what fun that was ! And I was closely involved/interested in the Coors Light Silver Bullets Women’s Baseball Team which was a blast! I got to know Joe Niekro and his brother Phil very well – I have a photo on my desk with them and Sparky Anderson!  And I played catch with Joe Niekro and tried (unsuccessfully) to catch his knuckleball!
·Do you have some favorite sports teams?
o   I’m a Red Sox guy for sure  — I can remember meeting Ted Williams with my Grandfather (who played in the Big Leagues) at Fenway ! I also love the Bears and Bruins and became a huge Avalanche fan while living in Denver
·You were the first Non Family Member to run the Coors Brewing Company – what was that like when you arrived in Golden Colorado?
o   Pretty interesting – there were bets being made on how quickly I’d get fired! This old family business had never had someone run the Company whose name was not Coors so the early days were very interesting to say the least! But the adoptive process began and Pete Coors became another mentor of mine and a close friend -his loyalty and support were huge contributors to making this move a success for the Company.  Coors is an amazing company and the people there would do anything for the business. My challenge was to help teach them to ‘win’  and my  business style as always been to be a ‘loyalist’ – total commitment to my boss. Happily Pete was the same way with me – the rest, as they say, is history
·For today’s young people getting out of school and looking to start their careers – any words of advice/pearls of wisdom to share?
o   Find a career path that you are passionate about – there is no substitute for the enthusiasm that comes from passion
o   Learn a skill early on – concentrate on being the best you can be at your chosen discipline no matter what that skill/discipline might be
o   Appreciate the fact that you will live with a batting average during your business career – no one bats 1.000 so it’s critical to learn from your disappointments and come back stronger than before the setbacks

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