Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News

Violetta watches the Red Wings game against the St. Louis Blues while entertaining clients at Joe Louis Arena last week. The 1981 alumnus said he enjoys working with the Red Wings. [Click to enlarge]

CMU alumnus Steve Violetta, Detroit Red Wings senior vice president of business affairs, and Account Executive Mary Greener chat with clients during the Red Wings game against the St. Louis Blues at Joe Louis Arena last week. [Click to enlarge]

As Detroit Red Wings players maneuver around the ice during National Hockey League games, Steve Violetta is procuring business deals for the team.

Violetta, senior vice president of business affairs for the Red Wings and a 1981 CMU alumnus, sits in the executive suite of Joe Louis Arena overlooking the game and tends to company such as the president and chief executive officer of Casino Windsor.

"Being able to work for a team I grew up idolizing as a kid ... it's been everything I expected and then some," he said.

Violetta, a Michigan native who earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and broadcasting at CMU, said he originally wanted to be a sportscaster.



His time at CMU included both classroom and radio station involvement. He helped build communication skills that have been an asset in his career, he said.

"What I learned at CMU really helped me get my job," he said.

Violetta's position, which he began in December, is the first of its kind with the Red Wings, and is an overarching role that manages all of the team's business operations.

Mary Greener, Red Wings account executive, said Violetta's role overlooks marketing, public relations and corporate sales, resulting in a greater synchronization and sense of direction, she said.

"He really brought it all together, which is great," she said.

Greener said Violetta's passion and people skills have helped promote a great team and product.

"He's making connections - he knows a lot of people. It's about building relationships," she said.

Violetta said he entered the business side of hockey after a working few years as a sportscaster. He realized the possibility of advancement was greater in the hockey business, and his time as sportscaster gave him the right connections, he said.

Violetta's business career has spanned from a Flint minor league team to the Ottawa Senators and the Nashville Predators of the NHL. This is his first position with the Red Wings.

Violetta said Detroit's red and white team have a storied history uncommon to most hockey teams.

The team's origins date back to the 1920s, and its roster has included revered players such as Gordie Howe. The Wings have won 10 Stanley Cups.

This sort of history springs up all over Joe Louis Arena, he said.

"Literally every time you turn the corner, there's something there," Violetta said.

Peter Orlik, Department of Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts chairman, had Violetta as a student, and described him as industrious.

Orlik said Violetta took seriously both co-curricular involvement and courses and is an example of a student who performed well in the program.

"Steve was a solid student here," he said.

Orlik said Violetta's task-driven attitude has been integral in his success in the hockey business.



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