TEALL SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Vice President of Finance
Amanda directs all accounting activity for Teall Sports & Entertainment, as well as provides strategic oversight to the portfolio companies related to budgeting, forecasting, and cash management. Before joining Teall, Amanda was the Audit Senior Manager at CohnReznick, LLP and was also an Adjunct Professor at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Amanda obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accounting at University North Carolina, Asheville where she was also quite successful on the basketball court. She also holds a Master of Accounting from North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
Ben C. Sutton, Jr. is an entrepreneur, culture builder, and philanthropist from North Carolina. He is currently founder, chairman, and CEO of Teall Sports & Entertainment, a holding company with investments in innovative, high-growth brands and services, including REVELxp, Dyehard Fan Supply, and Teall Properties Group (TPG). Widely credited for inventing the college sports media business as it is known today, Sutton sold his first company, ISP Sports, to IMG College in 2010, where he continued to build those core businesses into four national market-leading companies (media, licensing, ticketing, and stadium seating). He later engineered the sale of IMG in 2014 for $2.4 billion.
Sutton, often cited as one of the most powerful figures in sports and entertainment, is the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine (highest civilian honor in North Carolina), the Wake Forest University Distinguished Alumni award, the National Sports Media Association Roone Arledge award, and University of South Carolina lifetime achievement award. He has also been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation Leadership Hall of Fame, and the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Hall of Fame. In addition to serving as chairman and/or director of the Teall Sports & Entertainment portfolio companies, he serves on the boards of Wake Forest University, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the White House Historical Association, the National Football Foundation, the PGA Tour First Tee Foundation, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee foundation and others. The Sutton family has contributed more than $50 million to various philanthropic causes across the country.
Kelli leads all personnel and integration efforts for Teall. She was recognized as a 2012 Sports Business Journal "Game Changer - Women in Sports Business," an annual recognition accorded to only 40 women in all of sports who regularly shape the strategy, investments and programs that make teams, leagues and companies thrive. Kelli has been a major supporter of Habitat for Humanity and recently served as the Chairperson of the Board for Atlanta's Leadership Buckhead. She attended the University of Georgia and holds a bachelor's degree of business administration from Augusta State University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Manager
Kristen is the Executive Assistant for the Managing Partner and Chairman of Teall Sports & Entertainment. She also serves as the Office Manager for Teall's Winston-Salem office. Kristen spent 20+ years working for ISP Sports | IMG College as Executive Assistant to the President and Assistant Vice President of Sales Administration. Most recently, Kristen was the Executive Assistant to the President | CEO at the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina before joining the Teall family in August 2019. She is an active member of Reynolda Church and has graciously served as a foster parent since 2006.
Lou oversees all operational and legal-related matters for Teall companies. With more than 25 years of experience, he offers invaluable knowledge and practical legal experience, especially with regard to businesses engaged in sports and entertainment. Lou left private practice and joined IMG College as its first general counsel and has since been general counsel for numerous businesses and affiliates. He has integrated legal departments and led legal efforts on business acquisitions, large-scale sponsorships, and major rights agreements. He received a J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and a B.S. in economics from Duke University.
Mark oversees firm-wide Information Technology efforts. He is an experienced Information Technology executive with a career spanning more than 20 years. Mark's expertise is in strategic planning, project design and implementation, quality initiatives (CI), and line management.
Throughout his career, Mark has successfully led process re-engineering efforts, entire IT infrastructure redesigns, and new business startup initiatives for Weather Channel, Jefferson-Pilot, Lincoln Financial, and ISP Sports. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Employee Operations
Mary directs all human resource reporting, analysis, benchmarking, and administration, as well as, benefit, payroll, and compensation activity for Teall Sports & Entertainment and its companies. Mary also assists with the recruiting and onboarding of all team members. Prior to joining the Teall family, Mary worked with Krispy Kreme for over 20 years. Mary is very active in her church and loves listening to heavy metal music.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Development Officer
Rex returned to the Teall leadership team after serving two (2) years as the CEO of Dyehard Fan Supply. During the past 27 years, Rex has served in leadership capacities in college athletics and beyond with a record of driving sales, building high performance teams and creating new growth verticals. Rex is a proven college administrator, sports business executive and business development strategist. Rex will lead all business development efforts for Teall's portfolio businesses.
Wes oversees all new investments and acquisitions for the company. The former BB&T executive is also the former co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of Encapsio, an early stage biotech company. Wes received his BS from Wake Forest University and his M.B.A. degree from Duke University Fuqua School of Business and enjoys a great round of golf!