Chris McGowan serves as Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Sports & Entertainment (VSE), where he oversees business operations of all VSE sports franchises and facilities, including the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA); Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and the Seattle Sounders (MLS).
Named Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter President & Chief Executive Officer in October 2012, McGowan, 45, moved to the Pacific Northwest from Los Angeles-based Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), where he spent 16 years, including a final assignment as Chief Operating Officer of AEG Sports, before becoming one of the NBA’s youngest CEOs. Prior to ending his time with AEG Sports, McGowan was a part of a Stanley Cup Championship run for the LA Kings in the National Hockey League; an MLS Cup title for the LA Galaxy; and played an important role in opening one of the country’s most iconic sports arenas – Staples Center.
Retaining his current responsibilities as President and CEO of the Portland Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter, McGowan oversees the day-to-day operations of the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter including arena operations, ticket sales and service, corporate partnerships, premium seating, analytics, marketing, corporate communications, broadcasting, social responsibility, digital, finance and human resources. Since joining the organization, the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter have seen dramatic increases in all key revenue areas including ticket sales, sponsorship, retail, arena operations, and food and beverage.
In 2013, McGowan led a business restructuring to self-operate the Moda Center, Veterans Memorial Coliseum and Rose Quarter campus. Through a significant partnership with Live Nation and event ticketing systems under Ticketmaster, McGowan has driven an unprecedented variety of events to the Rose Quarter, including Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Madonna, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Kevin Hart, Bruno Mars, the 2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament, and PK80 Invitational – a groundbreaking college basketball tournament featuring 16 of the country’s top teams in a double-bracket format honoring the 80thbirthday of Nike co-founder Phil Knight in 2017.
In August 2013, McGowan and his team negotiated a community partnership with Moda Health that included naming rights to the Moda Center. Together, Moda and the Trail Blazers have energized Portland’s hub for sports and entertainment, creating an urban showcase for healthy, active living. Chicago-based Performance Health joined the Trail Blazers and Moda’s focus on active lifestyles with its Biofreeze product as the team’s first-ever jersey patch branding sponsor beginning with the 2018-19 NBA season.
McGowan has piloted major venue and technological improvements to the Rose Quarter campus and Trail Blazers Practice Facility, including $16 million in capital improvements. This includes the refurbishment of 1,800 seats in the Kuni Lexus Club Level; renovation of 38 of the arena’s private suites; construction of 24 theatre-style premium boxes called Studio Suites; opening of an exclusive “speakeasy-style” club called Oro Fino; the creation of a glass-enclosed bar on the arena’s top level named The Pines and Dr. Jack’s bar on the Rose Quarter
He has taken advantage of Portland’s thriving food culture by bringing local fare and some of the city’s popular restaurants to Moda Center, including Killer Burger, Salt & Straw, Sizzle Pie, Daddy D’s and Tamale Boy. In 2013, McGowan signed Levy as the Rose Quarter’s food and beverage partner for award-winning culinary vision, hospitality and customer service. A new agreement with Levy subsidiary Rank + Rally also oversees the Trail Blazers retail store, Rip City Clothing Co.
Under McGowan’s leadership, the organization’s charitable giving has increased annually thanks to new funding sources, including proceeds from the Trail Blazers specialty license plates for Oregon vehicles. During the 2017-18 season, the team’s cash grants and donations exceeded $1 million benefitting schools and nonprofits in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Sports Business Journalrecognized McGowan’s accomplishments at AEG Sports by naming him to their exclusive “Forty Under 40” list in March 2012. In 2017, McGowan was honored as one of the “Business Executives of the Year” by the Portland Business Journal. Locally, McGowan volunteers as a board member of Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation; Oregon Sports Authority; and the Trail Blazers Foundation.
In 2017, McGowan’s role expanded when he was named President of Vulcan Arts + Entertainment. In this role, he is focused on driving a comprehensive strategy for development, sales, and marketing across a portfolio of consumer-facing entities, including h Club London, h Club LA, Cinerama and Seattle Art Fair. Vulcan Arts + Entertainment also advances the activities of the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, and Living Computers: Museum + Labs.
In 2018, McGowan was named to the additional role of CEO of Vulcan Sports & Entertainment, where his responsibilities expanded further into the professional sports franchises and entertainment properties in the Vulcan portfolio. McGowan manages a cross-functional executive team in both Portland and Seattle in leading these business operations.
McGowan earned his bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Delaware in 1996, where he was captain of the soccer team. Chris, his wife Susan, and their two sons, Ryan (16) and Kyle (14), reside in Southwest Portland.
