Gary Green (baseball owner)

Gary Green
Born	September 8, 1965 Manhasset, New York
Occupation	CEO of Alliance Building Services & CEO of Alliance Baseball LLC

Gary Green (born September 8, 1965) is an American businessman and entrepreneur. He is CEO of Alliance Building Services which is one of the largest privately held building service providers in North America.^[1] In 2009, at the peak of his building services career, Green channeled his passion for baseball into Alliance Baseball LLC and has become a prominent investor and franchise owner in Minor League Baseball.^[2][3]

Early life and education

Green was born in Manhasset, New York. He attended Great Neck North High School, Great Neck, New York and graduated in 1983.

Green attended Union College, Schenectady, New York for one year (1983–1984) before transferring to University of Vermont. He transferred to University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont in the fall of 1984. He traveled to Sydney, Australia in his senior year where he studied Australian politics at Macquarie University. Green graduated from University of Vermont in 1988 with a B.A. in political science. He returned to New York from Australia a year later and enrolled in New York University Stern School of Business where he earned an M.B.A. in finance in 1991.

Early career

After completing his M.B.A., Green worked as a real estate broker for Abrams Benisch Riker and Riverbank Realty.^[4] Green also taught real estate finance in the Executive Division of New York University Stern School of Business.^[4]

Green then worked for his family's real estate company, where he successfully launched and ran its brokerage division. As vice president, he played an important role in the redevelopment of the company's commercial building portfolio.

Faced with the decision to continue with the family business or step out on his own, Green ventured out in 1992 at the age of 26 and founded Alliance Building Services.^[5]

Business ventures

Alliance Building Services

Green is currently the CEO of Alliance Building Services.^[1] Alliance is one of the largest privately held building service providers in North America.^[1] The company supervises or employs approximately 5,000 employees.^[2]

Business services

Alliance offers a variety of services through four different companies: First Quality Maintenance, Classic Security, Bright Star Messenger Centers, and Onyx Restoration and Painting.

Green formed First Quality Maintenance out of a frustration with mediocre cleaning service companies that overcharged landlords and tenants.^[6] He wasn’t satisfied with just mimicking an "old guard" business; he wanted to change the business model.^[6] Green continued to grow the company from 1992 to 1997 and expanded from servicing the family business's properties to third party properties.^[6] By 2004, First Quality Maintenance was providing cleaning services to more than 100 buildings.^[7]

In 1997, Alliance bought Classic Security and acquired a lighting and electrical company as a complement to the First Quality division. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, Alliance Building Services' security business took a major role in protecting the city and providing cleaning services in the aftermath.^[6]

Alliance acquired Bright Star Messenger Centers in 2001.^[6] In 2008, Alliance purchased Onyx Restoration and Painting.^[5][8] Currently, Alliance provides services to more than 165 buildings, encompassing more than 55 million square feet.

Notable clients

In 2009, Alliance provided maintenance services for the inaugural seasons of the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets.^[2] Alliance also provides cleaning services to the Empire State Building.^[2]

Alliance Baseball LLC

In 2009, at the pinnacle of his building services career, Green spun his business savvy and love for baseball into co-founding Alliance Baseball LLC with business partner and fellow baseball enthusiast Larry Botel.^[2]

Richmond Flying Squirrels

Green and Botel negotiated to a buy a large stake in the Connecticut Defenders from owner Lou DiBella.^[9] At the time, Richmond, Virginia was the largest city in the country without a professional sports franchise.^[9] Seeing this opportunity, Green and Botel conditioned the deal on moving the team from Norwich, Connecticut to Richmond, Virginia. Green, Botel, and DiBella closed the deal in 2009 and immediately relocated the team to Richmond under its new name: the Richmond Flying Squirrels.^[9]

Green and Botel's investment in the Flying Squirrels is one of the great success stories in Minor League Baseball over the past few years.^[10] The team drew nearly a half-million fans in its first year and led all of Minor League Baseball in merchandise sales in 2010. Style Weekly named Green, Botel, and DiBella 2010 Richmonders of the Year.^[9]

Omaha Storm Chasers

Warren Buffett (left) and Gary Green (right) at news conference announcing new ownership of the Omaha Storm Chasers.

In June 2012, Green leveraged his success with the Richmond Flying Squirrels into acquiring the Omaha Storm Chasers.^[2][3][10] Green successfully negotiated and closed the deal to buy the franchise from owners Warren Buffett, Walter Scott, Jr., and Bill Shea.^[3] Green’s ownership of the franchise ended a 21-year streak in which an Omahan had owned at least a piece of the team.^[11] Former Storm Chasers owner Warren Buffett was confident that Green’s record as a successful businessman and team owner would transfer over into the new venture and lauded Green's experience at a press conference announcing the change in ownership: “We know he’s a great owner, we know he has enormous enthusiasm for the game, and he loves Omaha,” Buffett said. “It doesn’t get better than that." Buffett continued, “After 21 years, we want someone who is going to keep it for the next 21 years or more, and he’s that sort of fella.”^[11]

Awards and honors

In May 2005, Green was awarded the Builders of Freedom Award in acknowledgment of his work in the Israel Bonds campaign.^[12] Green has received numerous awards for his philanthropic support of various charities including North Shore Child and Family Guidance Association for outstanding generosity and support of the Chrysanthemum Event in November 2001; the Award of Courage Corporation's Humanitarian Award in April 2008; Ronald McDonald House of New York's Children's Champion award in recognition of his continued support in November 2009 and again in October 2013; and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation award for his exemplary work on behalf of the foundation, which aids seriously ill children and their families, on July 17, 2006.^[13]

Green's leadership and management principles are highlighted in author Timothy Dobbins' book Stepping Up: Make Decisions that Matter.^[14] Green is also highlighted as a baseball and New York Mets historian in the 2010 documentary on Billy Joel's Last Play at Shea.

Civic engagement

Green was a national board member of Third Millennium and a founder of its New York City chapter.^[4] The organization was a nationwide nonpartisan advocacy group whose mission was to educate Generation X on issues such as Social Security reform and the national debt.^[4] Green testified in front of the U.S. House Ways and Means' Subcommittee on Social Security on behalf of Third Millennium, urging "businesspeople of [his] generation to become stakeholders in [the] country's direction" and "calling on the government to institute Social Security reform 'yesterday.'"^[4] At its peak, the group boasted 2,000 members in all 50 states.^[4]

Green is the nephew of Mark J. Green, author, attorney, and former New York City Public Advocate, Democratic nominee for U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, and Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City. He has worked on several of his uncle’s political campaigns.

References