We added additional partners in Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Roger Mody and Earl Stafford. I am so happy to welcome them into the fold. Many hands make light work.
A partner and friends at CES. Raul Fernandez. Mark Ein. Michael Powell.
A great friend and business partner and his new exec, Steve Case and Ron Klain.
Now that is all a Capital Buzz. Click here to read about it all and see press release below. Thank you.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 10, 2011
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Welcomes Two New Partners
Roger Mody and Earl Stafford join ownership group
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Roger Mody, chairman and CEO of The Mody Foundation, and Earl Stafford, chairman and CEO of The Stafford Foundation and CEO of The Wentworth Group, have become partners in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, announced Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports founder and majority owner.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment is one of the largest integrated sports and entertainment companies in the country with one of the most diverse partnership groups in all of sports. Monumental Sports owns and operates three professional sports teams: the NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals and WNBA’s Washington Mystics. The group also owns and operates Verizon Center, the premier sports and entertainment venue in Washington, D.C., and controls the local Ticketmaster franchise. Monumental Sports & Entertainment also oversees the management of Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the state-of-the-art training facility for the Capitals, and George Mason University’s Patriot Center.
“We are excited that Roger Mody and Earl Stafford expressed an interest and desire to join our ownership group,” Leonsis said. “Both Roger and Earl combine a strong business sense with an equally impressive commitment to philanthropy and the desire to assist those who are disadvantage or underserved. Both of them underscore the Monumental Sports double-bottom line business philosophy.”
Mody is the founder and chairman of The Mody Foundation, whose goal is to provide higher education, health-based and athletics funding for economically disadvantaged inner-city children. Mody also is an associate publisher of Inc. Magazine and has been featured on CNN. He is the former chairman and CEO of SIGNAL Corporation, a leading information technology services company supporting the Federal Government in Fairfax, Va. SIGNAL achieved International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification for delivering quality service to its federal customers and achieved $300 million in revenue in 2002 and had 2,200 employees in 60 offices throughout the United States. SIGNAL’s growth was accomplished with Mody’s strategy of growing the company’s business organically rather than through mergers and acquisitions. Mody sold the company to Veridian Corporation for $227 million in 2002.
Mody and SIGNAL were the recipients of more than 40 industry and growth awards, including KPMG Peat Marwick High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst & Young High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year and Small Business of the Year, Washington Technology Fast 50 growth award, Arthur Andersen’s Best Practices Award for Exceeding Customer Expectations, Deloitte & Touches Fast 500 and Inc. 500, among others.
The Mody Foundation has been actively involved in the Washington-area philanthropic community with participation in numerous organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Inova Fairfax Hospital pediatric heart program, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Volunteer Emergency Families for Children, The Orphan Network, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Easter Seals. The Mody Foundation also has supported Cardinals AAU Basketball, Alexandria Rising Stars Basketball, Joe Gibbs’ Youth For Tomorrow and The Good Samaritan Foundation.
He was a charter member of the Washington Redskins Leadership Council and also served as chairman of Washington’s 2003 Fight Night, which raised a then record $2 million for the Fight for Children organization. In 2004 he was appointed to the Greater Washington Board of Trade Sports Alliance.
Stafford founded The Stafford Foundation, a faith-based, nonprofit organization that supports more than 30 nonprofits that provide services to the disadvantaged and underserved and help them to improve their lives and become self-reliant. The foundation created and funded The People’s Inaugural Project, which brought hundreds of disadvantaged Americans from across the country to witness and participate in the inauguration of President Obama. The foundation also established the Doing Good campaign with Dr. Bill Cosby’s endorsement. The campaign is designed for people who are seeking ways to help others become self-sufficient so that they may in turn help others who are underserved.
Stafford also is the CEO of The Wentworth Group, a holding company that provides financial and business support services to the small business community. He also is the former chairman and chief executive of UNITECH, an award-winning training and simulation technology solutions company. UNITECH developed an international reputation for being a world leader in manufacturing and providing a complete portfolio of Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems, range instrumentation and other force-to-force Tactical Engagement Simulation Systems employed in advance military training.
Stafford enjoyed a distinguished career in the U.S. military, including serving as the assistant Air Force liaison officer to the Federal Aviation Administration. In that capacity he was responsible for ensuring Department of Defense initiatives and programs were integrated into the FAA’s National Airspace System modernization effort. He currently serves on the boards of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Drexel University, Wesley Theological Seminary, Venture Philanthropy Partners and Business Executives for National Security. Stafford received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Southern Illinois University. He is a graduate of the Owner/President Management executive program at the Harvard Business School.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment chief executives: Ted Leonsis (founder, majority owner, chairman, chief executive officer), Dick Patrick (vice chairman and Washington Capitals president), Raul Fernandez (vice chairman) and Sheila Johnson (vice chairman and Washington Mystics president and managing partner) and partners: Scott Brickman, Albert H. Cohen, Neil D. Cohen, Jack Davies, Richard D. Fairbank, Michelle DiFebo Freeman, Richard Kay, Jeong H. Kim, Mark D. Lerner, Roger Mody, Anthony P. Nader, Earl W. Stafford, George P. Stamas, Fredrick D. Schaufeld and Clifford A. White.
Contact: Kurt Kehl | kkehl@monumentalsports.com | 202.266.2354
