The Sports Venture Team
kelly roberts
Founder, Chief Commercial Officer
Kelly is the founder of Sports Venture and a pioneer in the licensed retail industry. He launched the Company in 1987 with its first store in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today, the Company has many retail locations throughout the Southwest United States, numerous partnerships with professional sports and entertainment venues, long-standing affiliations with colleges and universities, and a myriad of e-commerce platforms. For more than thirty years, Kelly has been a loyal partner and mentor to hundreds of industry stakeholders and has been instrumental in building and maintaining brand visibility for both the Company and its partners throughout the country …Read More
adam wilkes
president & ceo
As President and CEO of Sports Venture, Adam is responsible for setting the short and long-term strategic visions for the Company, leading the senior management team and overseeing day-to-day business operations. Since joining the organization, he has been instrumental in driving the Company’s diversification efforts and building a high-performance culture across all business units and functions. Adam joined Sports Venture from TMG, where he was a managing director working closely with both privately-held and publicly-traded companies on top team succession projects …Read More
Chase roberts
vice president of operations
As Vice President of Operations, Chase leads the inventory management and critical workflow platforms for the Company. With more than 15 years in the licensed retail industry, his experience covers all facets of buying, including product design, sourcing, merchandising, branding and logistics. He’s led merchandise operations for many of the largest events in the industry, including Super Bowls, Final Fours, College Football Playoff and Bowl games, NBA and MLB All-Star games and other large-scale, venue-based events. He also oversees all of Sports Venture’s eCommerce platforms, which comprise the fastest-growing vertical in the Company’s portfolio.
Jesse Blair
vice president of supply chain
Jesse leads the Sports Venture supply chain team and is responsible for, among other things, receiving and pricing all the Company’s inventory, building and executing against supply chain forecasting models, developing strategies for mitigating tariffs and other shipping costs, overseeing customer support services and managing supply chain disruptions whenever applicable. He joined Sports Venture from the restaurant industry, where he was both a general manager and district manager for two of the largest restaurant chains in the United States. Jesse works with every revenue platform …Read More
Charlie Reeves
IT Director
Charlie is well-versed in all facets of the licensed retail industry, having served in a variety of roles during his twenty years with Sports Venture. For the last fifteen years, he has focused on operations and logistics, leading the Company’s IT systems and technical infrastructure efforts. He has been a key driver in the Company’s growth and expansion, overseeing the creation and maintenance of numerous systems across all of Sports Venture’s platforms. He is an expert in POS systems, mobile interfacing, and event-based retail schemes and drives value for the Company and its partners by developing …Read More
Mike Fontes
vice president, general manager retail sales
Mike has spent the last ten years in a variety of leadership roles within the licensed retail industry. He started his career with Sports Venture, and, after serving as the General Manager of the team shop for the Arizona Diamondbacks, returned to the Company where he is now a General Manager overseeing numerous retail programs and partnerships. Mike is well-versed in traditional retail platforms, including permanent stores, professional sports and entertainment venues, and large-scale events. Mike manages with purpose and passion and is a proven leader in the areas of fan …Read More
Mark Vera
vice president, general manager retail sales
Mark is an experienced retail executive with a strong background in traditional sales, large-scale event planning, project management and business development. Over the last eleven years, Mark has managed a number of different Just Sports stores, led team retail efforts in professional basketball, soccer and hockey venues, partnered with concert promoters on complex entertainment projects, and worked with numerous stakeholders on licensed branding initiatives. He leads with a customer-first mindset and has been a key contributor to Sport Venture’s growth within the licensed retail industry.
John Gomez
vice president, general manager retail sales
John began his career with Sports Venture more than a decade ago as a sales associate in Southern Arizona. Since then, he has managed numerous stores, venues and special events on his way to becoming a General Manager with the Company. John understands the key levers that drive results in the licensed retail business and is a proven leader in the high-volume and high-profile spaces of the industry. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in exercise science from the University of Arizona and resides in Tucson, Arizona.
Sara Bubenheim
financial coordinator
Sara joined Sports Venture in 2017 after spending fifteen years in a variety of finance and operational roles within the retail profession. She oversees the Company’s accounting and finance functions and ensures accurate and timely reporting in accordance with all GAAP rules and regulations. She also manages a number of HR functions, including payroll, benefits administration, employee relations, and learning / development. With more than twenty years of accounting and retail experience, Sara is a key member of the Sports Venture team and a highly-skilled administrator within the broader retail industry.