A Conversation with New Board President Jim Carideo — Sport Oregon Voices

With a life-long love of sports, incoming Sport Oregon Board of Directors President Jim Carideo brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his new role with the organization. His first job out of college was as a high school head basketball coach in Saginaw, Mich., where he helped lead his team to two state championships and one runner-up finish. He later went to become an assistant basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University and Southern Methodist University, before eventually making his way to Oregon.

A Sport Oregon board member since 2018, Jim is the executive director for UBS Financial Services in Oregon. Below, he shares his thoughts on Sport Oregon’s accomplishments to date, its role in driving tourism and economic impact in the state, and its bright future.

Tell us about your interest in sports, and what drew you to your involvement with Sport Oregon.

Sports have always been an important part of my life, and an important part of my family’s lives.

Growing up in Tampa, Fla., I was aware of the great work that the Tampa Sports Authority did. They were instrumental in bringing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the area and were always involved with athletics and activities in the area. I think that they’re sort of a model for other sports authorities throughout the nation.

So, when I came here to Oregon years ago, one of the first people I met was [Sport Oregon CEO] Jim Etzel. We both like sports, he told me a lot about the organization, and for me, it was somewhat of a natural fit. I was enthusiastic about the direction he was taking the organization, and he knows the impact this organization can have on the entire state of Oregon.

What kind of impact do you think Sport Oregon has in the state?

Previously we, as an organization, talked about kids and people getting involved with sports, and what a great outdoor community that Oregon is. But we’ve evolved into a real business, helping bring important sports tourism to our state. Our relationships with Travel Portland and Travel Oregon are vital to bringing tourism here to the state of Oregon. That is reflected in our recent involvement with INDYCAR racing, NASCAR and Green Savoree Racing Promotions, and in helping to bring a number of different things to Oregon and the Portland area.

I think that these efforts are not only impactful to the community, to younger people being more involved in athletics and being more active, but we can have a greater impact in bringing all types of things – including professional and college sports – to the Portland area and the state of Oregon.

With your extensive involvement with the Sport Oregon board, what are some things you’re most proud of since joining?

The biggest thing is how we are perceived and how we’ve expanded our outreach to the entire community, and seeing the number of organizations that have rallied and become a part of Sport Oregon. I am proud of the impact that we’ve been able to see with other local companies and organizations, and seeing the impact we’ve had with such a broad reach.

I think the success of SHE FLIES has been monumental, and it’s something that we can continue to build on. It reflects not only the financial impact that we can help provide for the state of Oregon, but it really has an impact at the individual level as we continue to encourage sports and activities in our local community.

Now as president of the board, what are some of your goals and aspirations for Sport Oregon, and its board of directors?

Certainly I have a great deal of respect for what [past board presidents] Bill Hueffner and Chris Van Wagner have done since I’ve been here. I think the foundation that’s been built over the past few years, and the path the organization has taken has been in the absolute right direction. We have become relevant in all the conversations when it comes to sports and tourism here in Oregon.

I think that everyone on the board, and the staff that Jim has put together, is engaged and cohesive. The leaps and bounds that we’ve seen happen in recent years – especially during a tough time with COVID – are incredible.

We know we have the right people in place, and now it’s a matter of continued execution. And then it’s a matter of us as an executive board, which is really close and spends a lot of time together, reaching out to the other board members, the other organizations that are a part of this, and have them being able to achieve what they want within the organization, similar to what we’ve been able to provide our employees and clients at UBS.

What I think you’re seeing within our executive board now is a representation of our community. The diversity that we have within our board makes us a greater and stronger voice.

What is the ultimate impact that Sport Oregon can have?

I think that we’re just at the infancy. I’ve seen how other commissions are in other communities. The impact that we can have in our own communities… we’re just starting here in Oregon.  I would love to see us continue to execute, and if we can execute halfway as good as we have over the last couple of challenging years, we can help direct the future of where Portland is headed. Because let’s face it, we’ve had a few tough years here, but some of the successes that we’ve helped bring forward are indicative of what’s going to happen in the future for Portland.