Tom Garfinkel is an American sports executive who serves as vice chairman, president and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium and managing partner of the Formula One Miami Grand Prix. [1]
Tom Garfinkel is an American sports executive who serves as vice chairman, president and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium and managing partner of the Formula One Miami Grand Prix. [1]
Garfinkel graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder and earned his MBA at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.
Garfinkel held numerous leadership roles in sales, marketing and branding with Miller Brewing Company and Texaco before entering the sports industry. [2] From 2001 to 2006 he oversaw business operations for Chip Ganassi Racing. He then served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2009 he joined the San Diego Padres as president and COO. [3] In 2012 he was promoted to CEO. Garfinkel left the Padres in 2013 and was named president and chief executive officer of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium two months later. [4] He also serves as managing partner of the Miami Grand Prix, a Formula One race that takes place around Hard Rock Stadium. [5]
In 2008, Garfinkel helped deliver the highest controllable revenue in the franchise’s history. [6] He also lead the organization’s efforts to redesign the concourses at Chase Field. [7]
Garfinkel joined the Padres as president and COO in 2009 and was promoted to CEO in 2012. During his tenure with the team, Garfinkel created the Youth Baseball Initiative, which provided jerseys to over 850 Little League teams, helped broker a $1.2 billion television deal with Fox Sports San Diego, and was credited with raising the team's season-ticket base. Garfinkel also helped the Padres become the first Major League Baseball team to develop a comprehensive initiative to build awareness for Stand Up to Cancer. [8] [9]
In 2011 and 2012 the Padres had the top ticket sales and service team in baseball according to a survey in SportsBusiness Journal. He resigned from the Padres on July 9, 2013. [10]
On September 9, 2013, Garfinkel was named president and chief executive officer of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. [11] He helped oversee the team’s in-house sale of naming rights to “Hard Rock Stadium”. [12] He also led the execution of a privately-funded $550 million renovation plan to modernize the stadium, which included the installation of a canopy to offer shaded seats, increased video displays, and improved luxury seating and hospitality options. [13]
Inspired by a 60 Minutes special on plastic pollution, Garfinkel created an internal committee ahead of Super Bowl LIV that formulated a strategy to phase out 99.4% of single-use plastics. The efforts help eliminate more than 2.8 million plastic items annually. [14] With fans and employees hesitant to attend in-person events in 2020, Garfinkel helped lead efforts to make Hard Rock Stadium the first public facility to receive GBAC STAR™ accreditation. [15] He worked with members of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) to develop a 20-step plan that established a gold standard for facilities to implement different infectious disease prevention work practices. [16]
Garfinkel and Dolphins owner Stephen Ross also spearheaded efforts to construct the team’s new $135 million Baptist Health Training Complex, which was completed in 2021. [17]
The Dolphins were named to the 2019 and 2020 Best Employers in Sports List by Front Office Sports, which recognizes organizations across the sports industry that are doing the best for their employees. [18] [19]
In October 2020, Garfinkel earned the George Norlin Award, which recognizes outstanding CU Boulder alumni who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen field of endeavor and a devotion to the betterment of society and their community. [20]
Garfinkel and the Dolphins were honored by the Fritz Pollard Alliance at Super Bowl LIV with the Paul J. Tagliabue Award for their commitment to advancing diversity in leadership positions throughout the organization. [21]
In March 2021, Garfinkel and Ross were among Sports Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity and Inclusive Hiring honorees for their efforts to advance the sports business careers of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. [22] [23]
Garfinkel also serves on the board of Dolphins Challenge Cancer, the National Football Foundation and the Sports Management Advisory Board and Ross School of Business Advisory Board at the University of Michigan. [24]
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a northern suburb of Miami. The team is owned by Stephen M. Ross. The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida. Of the four AFC East teams, the Dolphins are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League (AFL). The Dolphins were also one of the first professional football teams in the southeast, along with the Atlanta Falcons.
Hard Rock Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States. The stadium is the home field for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and the Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's NCAA Division I college football team.
Harry Wayne Huizenga Sr. was an American businessman. He founded AutoNation and Waste Management Inc., and was the owner or co-owner of Blockbuster Video, the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL), the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Arthur Morris Blank is an American businessman. He is best known for being a co-founder of the home improvement retailer The Home Depot.
Lawrence Lucchino was an American lawyer and Major League Baseball executive. He served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the San Diego Padres, and president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox. He was also chairman of the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox; chairman of The Jimmy Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute; and president and CEO emeritus of Fenway Sports Group, the parent company of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C. Lucchino played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers.
Robert Glenn Baumhower is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under coach Bear Bryant from 1973 to 1976 and professionally for Miami under coach Don Shula. He later became a restaurateur.
Stephen Michael Ross is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and sports team owner. Ross is the chairman of Related Companies, a global real estate development firm he founded in 1972. Related is best known for developing the Deutsche Bank Center, as well as the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project. Ross has a net worth of $10.1 billion in 2020, ranking him 185 on Forbes Billionaires List in 2020. He is still featured on the list as of 2023. Ross is also the principal owner of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium.
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise which competes in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team's headquarters, stadium and training facilities are all co-located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins' team was founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. The Dolphins began play in the American Football League (AFL) in 1966. South Florida had not had a professional football team since the days of the Miami Seahawks, who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) East Division in 1946 before becoming the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts.
"Fins" is a song recorded by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was written by Buffett, Coral Reefer Band members Deborah McColl and Barry Chance, and author Tom Corcoran. It was released as a single on MCA 41109 in July 1979.
Jim Steeg is an American sports executive. He is considered throughout the National Football League (NFL) as the individual most responsible for growing the Super Bowl into the most popular one-day sporting event in the world.
Mike Dee is an American sports and media executive who is currently president of Sports for Audacy, Inc., the largest audio rights holder of professional teams and sports talk radio in the United States. He is the former chief executive officer of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball and the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. Dee also served as the chief operating officer of the Boston Red Sox and as president of Fenway Sports Group. While with the Red Sox, the team won two World Series titles.
Matt Higgins is an American businessman, author, and the co-founder and CEO of RSE Ventures, a private investment firm that focuses on sports and entertainment, media and marketing, food and lifestyle, and technology. In 2012, Higgins co-founded RSE with Stephen M. Ross, the founder of Related Companies and owner of the Miami Dolphins. Higgins served as Vice Chairman of the Dolphins from 2012-2021, having previously been a high-level executive with the New York Jets. His first book, Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potential was published by William Morrow in 2023, and was named a Wall Street Journal Bestseller.
The 2016 season was the Miami Dolphins' 47th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 51st overall, their first under general manager Chris Grier and their first under head coach Adam Gase. The season saw the Dolphins trying to improve upon their 6–10 record from 2015. After a lackluster 1–4 start, the Dolphins would claim six straight wins, and finish the season on a 9–2 run. With their Week 15 win over the New York Jets, the Dolphins clinched a winning record for the first time since 2008, and clinched a playoff berth the following week after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos, ending their 8-year playoff drought. This made Gase the Dolphins' first rookie coach since Tony Sparano to end a year-long playoff drought and also lead them to a winning record of at least 10 wins. They were also the first AFC East team, other than the New England Patriots, to qualify for the postseason since the 2010 New York Jets. However, they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, ending their season and not winning a playoff game for the 16th straight year.
The 2017 season was the Miami Dolphins' 48th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 52nd overall, their second under general manager Chris Grier and their second under head coach Adam Gase. The team came off from a 10-6 record and a playoff appearance for the first time since 2008. They were seen as potential playoff contenders and looked to make consecutive playoff seasons for the first time since the 2000 and 2001 seasons. However, the team was affected by the loss of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who tore his ACL during practice and was ruled out for the season. The team turned to former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who came out of retirement to become Tannehill's replacement and team's starter. After Tannehill got injured, coach Adam Gase called former Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning about possibly coming out of retirement and taking Tannehill's place. However Manning later declined the idea of coming out of retirement. Gase was the QB coach and offensive coordinator of Peyton's Broncos between the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Additionally, the Dolphins were also one of the teams Peyton considered signing with following his release by the Colts in 2012. Later during the season, the team traded starting running back Jay Ajayi to the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2018 fourth round draft pick on October 31.
The 2019 season was the Miami Dolphins' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 54th overall and their first under new head coach Brian Flores.
The 2020 season was the Miami Dolphins' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), their 55th overall and their second under head coach Brian Flores.
The Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GAC), a Division of ISSA, is a network of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation and response and recovery. GAC provides services intended to assist individuals, institutions, companies and governments in assessing preparedness. It also offers education and training to respond and recover in critical biohazardous events, with an emphasis on microbial containment and psychological surety.
The 2021 season was the Miami Dolphins' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 56th overall, and their third and final year under head coach Brian Flores, and sixth under general manager Chris Grier. Despite a 1–7 start to the season, Miami then won the next seven games, becoming the first team in NFL history to lose seven straight games and then win seven straight games in the same season. The 7-game win streak was their first since the 1985 season. They also became the sixth team in NFL history to win four or more consecutive games after losing seven in a row, after the 2009 Cleveland Browns, 1994 New York Giants, 1993 New England Patriots, 1984 Green Bay Packers, and the 1978 St. Louis Cardinals. However the Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year after their win streak ended in Week 17 to the Tennessee Titans, combined with a win by the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 2022 season was the Miami Dolphins' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th overall, the first under new head coach Mike McDaniel, and seventh under general manager Chris Grier. It also set out with the acquisition of 3x All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill, who joined Jaylen Waddle as Tua Tagovailoa's receiving duo after breaking contract talks with the Chiefs and being traded in March.
The 2024 season is the Miami Dolphins' 55th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 59th overall, their ninth under general manager Chris Grier and their third under head coach Mike McDaniel. The Dolphins failed to improve on their 11–6 record from last year following a loss to the division rival Buffalo Bills in Week 9. They then guaranteed a worse record following a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. They still have a chance to make the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They will also attempt to snap their 23-year playoff victory drought, which is the longest active drought in the NFL.
