Sarah Glessing
When Jimmy and Dee Haslam acquired a 25% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, it was a full-circle experience for Josh Glessing, who led the transaction on behalf of Haslam Sports Group. Glessing is not only a Wisconsin native and lifelong Bucks fan, but he’d also previously advised the team on its construction of Fiserv Forum while working for Goldman Sachs.
It was at Goldman where Glessing had begun to hone a thesis that sports assets were generally undervalued. Armed with a background in large-scale capital projects — Glessing had focused on public finance while at Indiana University — he impressed the Haslams while advising on their acquisition of the Columbus Crew and afterward joined the newly launched Haslam Sports Group in 2019.
“We really started to think about what else is out there; how are these assets valued, and are they valued appropriately? The conversations started from the very, very beginning,” Glessing recalled. “At this point in 2019, there aren’t any institutional investors in sports. … So I was incredibly fortunate that I had this thesis and was surrounded by people that were willing and able to also execute on that thesis.”
In addition to the Bucks, Glessing has since advised on the acquisition of the Nashville Predators by former Tennessee Gov. (and Jimmy’s brother) Bill Haslam. He also assumed oversight of HSG Ventures, an investment platform that’s taken stakes in the WNBA, Courtside Ventures and StatusPro, among others. In October, Glessing stepped in as the Crew’s acting president of business operations. He sees greater opportunity to leverage the broad scale of HSG’s assets and broaden his own expertise.
“I like figuring things out that I don’t know the answer to,” Glessing said. “By background, I’m not a sports team operator, so it’s continuing to develop new skills and learn new things. And I just perpetually want to be challenged.” — Chris Smith
Josh Glessing
Chief of Strategy and Corporate Development, Haslam Sports Group
Age: 38
Born: Manitowoc, Wis.
Education: Indiana University, B.S., public affairs
Family: Spouse, Sarah; children, Greta (6) and Charlie (2)
Advice to my 20-year-old self: You don’t have to have it all figured out by 20 … or 25 … or 40. Work hard and be kind, the rest will work itself out.
What my friends/family think I do all day: Microsoft Excel.
Cause supported: Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
App I use most: Apple Podcast.
First social media platform I signed up for: Facebook.
Social media platform I use/follow the most today: Instagram.
Person in sports business I’d most like to meet: Bill Simmons.
Most pivotal decision in my career: Leaving Goldman Sachs in New York City for Haslam Sports Group in Columbus, Ohio.
Sports business leaders should be more mindful of … : The business is changing and it is changing fast.
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