Haslam Back To Pilot
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Browns owner Jimmy Haslam back in as CEO of Pilot Flying J
By Will Brinson | Senior Blogger
February 11, 2013 1:12 pm ET
It's not generally huge NFL news when billionaires become CEOs of the companies they already own, but the decision of new Browns owner Jimmy Haslam to return to the CEO role of Pilot Flying J is an interesting one.
Haslam took over the Browns in August 2012 (he was, as I like to point out, "fired up to the max") and shortly thereafter stepped down as CEO of Flying J, handing over control to PepsiCo president John Compton.
The move, presumably, involved Haslam becoming more involved in the Browns. He was just that, and Cleveland filled up its front office (hiring Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi) and coaching staff (hiring Rod Chudzinski, Norv Turner, Ray Horton among others) with Haslam hanging around.
But now Haslam's sliding back into the CEO role, which probably means he'll be in Knoxville, Tenn., more than Cleveland. So what should we read into it? Well, Haslam says it's about him "realizing my first love."
"This is about me realizing my first love is running Pilot Flying J and wanting to return to that job," Haslam said per the Knoxville News Sentinel.
This isn't necessarily a disaster for the Browns or anything. It might mean Haslam wasn't thrilled with the job that Compton -- who will now serve as a strategic adviser to Flying J, the Browns and the Haslam family -- was doing. (Although obviously both parties deny that.)
Or it might mean Haslam wants out of the Browns spotlight in order to let Banner and Lombardi do their thing now that everything's in place.
Or maybe we're all sleeping on the fact that Haslam is rich enough to spend half his time in a private jet, scooting quickly back and forth between Knoxville and Cleveland.
The key for him will be remaining an owner who sees some of the spotlight. Haslam doesn't need to be Jerry Jones or anything, but making sure he's not Randy Lerner would be a good thing going forward for this franchise.
That being said, if the Browns are winning, Haslam can probably watch their games from an iPad in Barbados for all the fans in Cleveland care.
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I can't say I know too much about most of the owners in the NFL, but I imagine this isn't totally uncommon. Either way it doesn't bother me too much, it's clear the guy wants a winner in Cleveland and gets pissed over the teams results. In actuality it comforts me that he might be leaning towards a "hands off" approach. Get the right people in, be aggressive with your money but don't Jerry Jones it out there.
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Pilot Flying J makes his money, the Browns are hobby. If Pilot Flying J fails, he won't have the funds to fuel his hobby. He spent his whole life building the company so he probably knows what it takes to run it more than a football organization. As owner of the Browns, he just needs to put the right people in place to build a winner. That and he gets one of the best seats in the house to enjoy/curse a football game every Sunday.
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I think the move is made here because he has finally put in place witht the Browns all the people he thought he needed to run this operation...and he is going to allow them to do their jobs while he goes about doing his primary job.
In a sense, he has less to do now with the Browns. Back in October it was literally just him....and the leftovers from the Holmgren regime. But now that he has a team CEO in banner, a President in Shriner, a GM/DOP in Lombardi, a HC, both coordinators, and a full compliment of asst. coaches he can let them all go about their business while he goes about his.
That is what I see this as meaning.
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I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. -
Don't really care what Haslam does. Just start winning and I'll be happy.
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I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
The temperature here was pushing 45-50, so it wasn't so bad...but... who knows how long that will last.
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I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
The temperature here was pushing 45-50, so it wasn't so bad...but... who knows how long that will last.
The temperature here was pushing 45-50, so it wasn't so bad...but... who knows how long that will last.
None the less, you get my point.
No matter the reason, we agree, he doesn't need to be here 365.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. -
I think another big thing if I understand correctly is that his family completely built the gas station chains from the ground up. I'd have to believe that's important to Haslam. I know if my parents handed down a billion dollar company they worked their ass off for I'd work my ass off for it too.
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I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
I agree. He can fly from Knoxville to Cleveland in call it 2.5 hours. That's from takeoff until he pulls in the drive at the Browns complex in Berea.
I don't know if Pilot maintains their own jet, but you can bet they lease time with some outfit that can have one at a private hanger inside 24 hours if need be. I'd bet they lease a hundred hours or more a year.
Point is, he doesn't need to be there. Plus, it's maybe 55 in Tennessee today. He may have decided he'll hang in Cleveland from late spring through football season, then head back to warmer temps.
I would.
It's faster than that Russ.
One of the newer Lear jets can make the trip in a shade over an hour actual flight time, (Mach .8) if he tells the pilot to floor it. Gameday, he has a shorter commute from Knoxville landing at Burke, than I do from Dayton. Fer sure, he's already scheduled flight time for the upcoming season. -
No doubt. I just threw out the 2.5 hour number to take everything in to account.
Either way, he can and will be in Berea as often as required. Most of what he needs to do at this point is communication. I suppose the same could be said about his role with Pilot, but to me, that is more like the Banner role with the Browns where you do need to be around on a every day, or nearly every day basis to keep your thumbprint fairly fresh.
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The temperature here was pushing 45-50, so it wasn't so bad...but... who knows how long that will last.
None the less, you get my point.
No matter the reason, we agree, he doesn't need to be here 365.
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