Meet the New '21 Board Members: Kenny Bunch
DISE is excited to welcome Kenny Bunch to the board of directors beginning in 2021! He currently serves as Director of Service & Retention for the Dallas Mavericks and is joining the DISE board as part of our Memberships committee.
To get to know Kenny, we asked him a few questions about his professional experience and the DFW sports industry.
What was your first job? What was your first job in the sports/entertainment industry?
“My first job was as a Courtesy Clerk at a grocery store. Basically just bagged groceries and helped women and elders to their cars. In the sports industry, my first true job was working as an equipment manager for the football team in college. My wages came in the form of free food and road game per diem.”
What is one piece of advice that you'd give to someone looking to get started in our industry?
“Be flexible, and that’s in every way. Don’t let the actual sport, job location, title, job responsibilities, and if possible, salary stop you from getting started in the industry. The reward is worth it when you stick with it!”
What are you excited about for the future of our industry here in Dallas?
“I’m excited for the continued growth of business here in Dallas, and how that growth attracts so many great things in our industry. Dallas is so centrally located and still has such room for growth, which makes it such an attractive location for sports & entertainment on all levels.”
What is one new thing related to your job/role/business that you learned during the COVID-19 pandemic?
“As it relates to ticket sales and attending live sporting events, there remains such a strong desire to see the world’s greatest athletes live. Of course TV, fantasy sports, and just overall comfort of consuming sports at home is a constant source of competition, but the fact that members continue to stick it out in the midst of a very tough pandemic to be in position to come back to see games live and in person has been encouraging and eye-opening.”
Bio:
Kenny Bunch currently serves as Director of Service & Retention for the Dallas Mavericks. He is tasked with leading the primary group involved with customer service and retention of Season Ticket Members for the Mavs. In addition to retention, Kenny also leads efforts with season ticket renewals, events, experiences, benefits, and new memberships. He has been with the Mavericks since 2013, and has worked in the NBA since 2011. With the Mavs, Kenny was apart of the inaugural Service & Retention team in 2013, and has since been a key contributor to renewal of over 90% of Mavs Season Ticket Members over that time span. Kenny also leads the Black Employee Network with Mavs, an employee resource group dedicated to outreach in underserved communities in the Metroplex, creating awareness of Black culture and initiatives within the Mavs organization, and facilitating educational opportunities internally and externally for minorities and allies.
Kenny graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. He also received his Masters of Arts in Sport Commerce from the University of Memphis, in Memphis, TN. Kenny is passionate about serving others, advancing the conversation of the benefits and viability of HBCU’s in our country, and using the platform provided by the sports industry to help those in need. Originally from Denver, Colorado, he currently lives in Glenn Heights with his wife Rahnesha, and their newborn twins, Kai & Kameron.