Peter Feigin -- WSJ
April 20 2019 - 03:02AM
Dow Jones News
President, Milwaukee Bucks
By Laine Higgins
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (April 20, 2019).
Peter Feigin
President, Milwaukee Bucks
When Peter Feigin was named president of the Milwaukee Bucks in
October 2014 by the team's new owners, sports fans and pundits in
Wisconsin regarded the self-described "fast-talking New York sales
guy" with skepticism.
Though Mr. Feigin previously worked in the National Basketball
Association as a marketing executive for the New York Knicks in the
early 2000s, his most recent post was running operations at Marquis
Jet Partners, a private-jet company owned by Warren Buffett's
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Since Mr. Feigin arrived in Milwaukee, he oversaw construction
of a new arena downtown with materials sourced 90% from Wisconsin.
He approached the 51-year-old franchise "like a startup" and built
a culture of collaboration by asking his 330 full-time and 1,000
part-time employees, "How can you have empathy, how can you
collaborate, how can you be a great teammate?"
During his tenure, the Bucks have gone from perennial Eastern
Conference cellar-dwellers to having the best win-loss record in
the NBA this year. These days, Mr. Feigin is probably the
second-most recognizable figure in the Bucks universe behind "the
Greek Freak," 6-foot-11-inch forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Mr. Feigin credits his rise in Milwaukee to his high-powered
work ethic, something he says he learned from his parents. "The
best advice I've ever gotten is just work your butt off," he said.
"If you've got a modicum of intelligence, you're going to do well.
But the way you can differentiate yourself is you can always
control outworking people."
Here, four trusted advisers:
Barbara Feigin
Mother and former director of strategic services at Grey
Advertising Inc.
Mr. Feigin regards his mother as the chairwoman of his personal
board for teaching him the importance of perseverance by example. A
World War II refugee from Nazi Germany, Mrs. Feigin went on to
graduate from Harvard Business School's joint program with
Radcliffe Graduate School before women were directly admitted to
the Ivy League university. While rising through the ranks at
Madison Avenue firm Grey Advertising, she "never missed" her three
sons' frequent basketball and soccer games. She encouraged her sons
to be curious, another trait Mr. Feigin says his mother
exemplifies, and peppers him on everything from business strategy
to life updates on their near-daily Facetime calls.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks forward
Nicknamed "the Greek Freak" for his otherworldly dunking
abilities and his 7-foot-3-inch wingspan, Mr. Antetokounmpo is the
Bucks president's go-to for understanding the pulse of the team,
something Mr. Feigin says is crucial to creating a winning
organizational culture. "He's got an acute understanding from a
superstar's perspective on the impact he has on the business and
the city of Milwaukee." The All-Star forward is speedy on the court
-- and at processing information, Mr. Feigin says. "He's a person
you could have a two-minute conversation with and achieve what you
are looking for."
Herb Kohl
Former Milwaukee Bucks owner and former U.S. senator
A proud Wisconsinite, Mr. Kohl taught Mr. Feigin, a native New
Yorker, about the culture of Milwaukee and the importance of
loyalty in the Midwest. "He's got this overwhelming love for the
city of Milwaukee," said Mr. Feigin of the former Bucks owner who
donated $100 million of his personal fortune to fund a new arena
downtown that helped keep the franchise in the city despite its
small-market status. "That has been really helpful for me to
navigate politically, helpful to navigate socially." Mr. Kohl now
imparts advice at the pair's monthly lunches and dinners. "It's
real, sage wisdom with nothing attached other than just trying to
help."
Malcolm Lee
Director and producer
Mr. Feigin says he, his identical twin brother, Daniel, and Mr.
Lee have been "kind of inseparable" since meeting in fourth grade.
"We're kind of like soulmates in that we root for each other in a
big way to succeed." Now a Hollywood director known for movies like
"Girls Trip" and "Night School," Mr. Lee gives the Bucks president
advice on brand positioning. "What makes him special and
differentiates him is he's just that insightful, creative
storyteller that understands audience and business."
Write to Laine Higgins at laine.higgins@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 20, 2019 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
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