FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2024
Contact: Patrick Klinger
(612) 366-0419
LONGTIME SPORTS EXECUTIVES ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF MINNESOTA’S NEWEST TEAM
Ignitor Partners bring together decades of accomplishments in NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA and Olympic and Collegiate Sports
St. Paul, MN – March 20, 2024 – Four longtime sports industry executives today announced the launch of Ignitor Partners, a new collaboration that will provide marketing, communication, public relations, legal and sponsorship expertise to brands, sports properties, organizations and municipalities in Minnesota and throughout the country.
Ignitor Partners bring together decades of accomplishments and experience in the sports industry. The collaboration includes:
Bill Robertson, the former commissioner of the United States Hockey League and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, Robertson was part of the inception of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (NHL), Minnesota Wild (NHL), Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) and Minnesota Swarm (MLL) as well as four different sporting venues including the Xcel Energy Center, Target Center, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim and Edison International Field. While with the Wild, Robertson and his staff won the Dick Dillman Award, which is given to the NHL’s top public relations staff. Prior to working with the Wild, Robertson served as the Director of Communications for The Walt Disney Company (1993-98), leading communications efforts for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (NHL) and Anaheim Angels (MLB). Robertson also served in the same role with the Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-93). While with the Ducks, Robertson’s staff won the Dick Dillman Award in four-straight seasons (1994-97). Robertson’s experience also includes strategic planning and serving as the main liaison for the 2004 NHL All-Star Weekend, 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and 2011 NHL Draft as well as serving as media relations liaison for the men’s and women’s Team USA Olympic ice hockey teams in 2002 and 2006.
Bob Hagan, the former Vice President of Football Communications for the Minnesota Vikings, is one of the most recognizable and respected names in the NFL public relations community. For 32 seasons (1991-2022), Hagan was a cornerstone of the Vikings public relations department. He was responsible for coordinating print and electronic media coverage of the Vikings as well as overseeing the club’s records and historical archives. After the 2017 season, the Vikings PR staff was honored as the Pete Rozelle Award winners, a recognition given annually by the Pro Football Writers of America to the top PR department league wide that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media. Hagan worked with the NFL PR staff for 19 Super Bowls and served on the Super Bowl LII Communications Committee.
Patrick Klinger is the founder of Agile Marketing Partners, a consultancy that helps top organizations and brands negotiate, manage, leverage and maximize their partnerships with teams in the NHL, MLB, NBA and collegiate sports. Prior to establishing his firm, Klinger spent 14 seasons as vice-president of marketing at the Minnesota Twins where he helped lead the ballclub to all-time attendance records and earned a reputation for developing trend-setting programs. He defined and strengthened the Twins brand which helped earn the team the Horizon Awards “Sports Organization of the Year” and “Sports Person of the Year” honors. His marketing programs resulted in seven regional Emmy Awards, a Silver Effie Award and national honors for advertising and brand campaigns.
Scott R. Erickson is an attorney and partner at the law firm Stinson LLP in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Scott provides general counsel representation; merger, sale, and acquisition representation; and business succession planning to family and privately held businesses and their owners in many business segments, including professional and amateur sports leagues and teams, as well as other creative and entertainment industries. He is co-chair of Stinson’s Sports and Recreation practice group. Scott has experience with four professional sports leagues: Basketball (NBA), Hockey (NHL), Baseball (MLB), and football (NFL). Some of Scott’s professional sports experience includes serving on the Steering Committee for Minnesotans for Major League Baseball, a volunteer group aimed at keeping baseball in the state of Minnesota, which ultimately led to the development of the Minnesota Twins’ ballpark. He also served as outside counsel to the Minnesota Timberwolves and worked on select business and legal matters for the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Vikings. Since 2001, Scott has served as the outside counsel of the United States Hockey League, the only tier 1 junior-level hockey league in the United States as sanctioned by USA Hockey. He has also served on the Legal Council for USA Hockey.
“The collective experience and accomplishments of this team of collaborators will allow us to provide effective strategic analysis, advice and tactical support to franchises, leagues and other entities involved in sports,” said Klinger. “Each member of Ignitor Partners knows how teams and leagues operate because we’ve worked for them. As the business of sports becomes increasingly complex and expensive, our combined knowledge, unique skill sets, vast network of relationships and experience dealing with difficult and high-profile situations will be invaluable to entities involved in sports.”
Each member of Ignitor Partners will continue to maintain their own independent projects and business. The collaboration will work together when the members’ collective talents can be beneficial to a company or project.
Visit www.ignitorpartners.com for more information.