The ROAR Podcast powered by Seregh and Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies features dynamic sports industry leaders globally who share their unique career insights and perspectives on a wide range of topics related to the business of sports, including real estate, economics, marketing, branding, media, sponsorship, events, and public policy.
Founded in 2021 and hosted weekly by Northwestern Master of Arts in Sports Administration (MSA) faculty members Adam Grossman and Brice Clinton, along with Caroline Valvardi from Seregh, notable guests have included Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://soundcloud.com/northwesternrar/peter-feigin?in=northwesternrar*sets*season-1-episodes__;Ly8!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!VEi6esf_ksQpRatPoCiUGZDek4mk0m1t4HCA1Hwz5kB757k1xb476xicA_ILaPPQLWlOunBPoGYncM083i8$), ESPN's Sara Spain (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://soundcloud.com/northwesternrar/sarah-spain?in=northwesternrar*sets*season-1-episodes&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing__;Ly8!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!VEi6esf_ksQpRatPoCiUGZDek4mk0m1t4HCA1Hwz5kB757k1xb476xicA_ILaPPQLWlOunBPoGYnHyTOHC8$), and NHL Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Browning (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://soundcloud.com/northwesternrar/heidi-browning?in=northwesternrar*sets*season-1-episodes&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing__;Ly8!!Dq0X2DkFhyF93HkjWTBQKhk!VEi6esf_ksQpRatPoCiUGZDek4mk0m1t4HCA1Hwz5kB757k1xb476xicA_ILaPPQLWlOunBPoGYnxOYM5W8$).
Grossman is also Chief Analytics Officer at Seregh, a global real estate company that develops and invests in sports and entertainment mixed-use districts surrounding stadiums and arenas. In fall 2025, Seregh acquired ROAR, a sports data analytics company founded by Grossman.
Jackie Krutz started her career as a therapist. Today she leads development at Titletown, the Green Bay Packers’ 45-acre mixed-use district just west of Lambeau Field.
In this episode, co-host Caroline Valvardi talks with Jackie about her unusual path. She left counseling psychology for real estate during the 2008 downturn and helped shape community at Playa Vista in Los Angeles. Then a cold email to the Packers changed her trajectory. Jackie explains why roughly a quarter of Titletown is free public space, and how the Packers’ community ownership shapes the way the district is planned and run. She also describes what it took to prove that a market like Green Bay could support this kind of development.
The conversation also covers Titletown’s atypical financing model, the role of TIF in funding infrastructure, and how the district reset local expectations for rents and home prices. Jackie shares a surprising data point from Titletown Flats: residents who leave their units are often upgrading to bigger apartments in the same building.
00:00 Welcome and introduction
00:32 From therapist to real estate
03:00 The Hail Mary email to the Packers
05:49 What is Titletown?
07:40 Beyond game day: year-round activation
09:31 Lessons from Playa Vista
12:55 Community ownership as a differentiator
15:07 Balancing residents, tenants, and visitors
18:41 Challenges, opportunities, and the next parcels
23:56 Economic impact on Green Bay
26:00 Resetting market expectations
29:54 The capital stack: how Titletown was funded
32:24 Why TIF matters
35:15 Building public support
37:45 Data and AI in decision-making
42:22 The surprising apartment data
45:03 Becoming a Packers fan 46:36 Impact and legacy
22 Oct 2026
The ROAR Podcast: Rick Wade
Rick Wade is Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he leads the organization’s work connecting small businesses, athletes, and the broader business community to the sports economy.
He grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina and a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. His career has moved between business and government. He served as chief of staff to South Carolina’s lieutenant governor and as a vice president at Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, and he ran for South Carolina Secretary of State. In 2007 he joined then-Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign as a senior advisor. He later served at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he led trade missions around the world.
After founding a global advisory firm, Rick began working with the U.S. Chamber as a consultant in 2016. He has been there ever since and has served six years on the board of USA Track & Field.
00:00 Welcome to The ROAR Podcast
00:47 Rick's non-linear path:
01:45 The phone call from Senator Obama
02:56 From Commerce to consulting, and crashing the Chamber's party
05:06 What the U.S. Chamber is, and why it's focused on sports
08:48 Mega events as long-term economic engines
12:24 Sports districts and why "all business is local"
13:58 Using data to drive policy
15:33 Small businesses and AI adoption
18:24 Balancing large tenants and local businesses in districts
19:35 The 2027 NFL Draft and small business procurement
21:11 Athletes as "pro CEOs" and the Hiring Our Athletes idea
24:43 NIL and support for college athletes
25:21 Why athlete entrepreneurs need different support
27:54 Leading across the public and private sectors
32:08 Sport as a unifier and sports diplomacy
33:32 What brings Rick joy
37:51 What's next for Rick and the Chamber
38:55 Wrap-up: "Let's ROAR together"
15 Oct 2026
Best of The ROAR Podcast: Kirtan Mehta
We’re resurfacing one of our favorite conversations this week. Kirtan Mehta, Chief External Affairs Officer for the Washington Commanders, joined Caroline Valvardi for a clear-eyed look at one of the most complex real estate projects in American sports — and it’s only gotten more relevant as the RFK project moves forward.
From Harvard Law to two U.S. Senate offices to an early stint at Robinhood, Kirtan brings a government-relations lens you rarely hear in sports business. The conversation covers aligning owners, fans, and three separate jurisdictions; the case for building a neighborhood rather than just a stadium; how data and AI are being deployed from construction phasing to fan experience; and the leadership ethos the franchise calls the Commander Standard.
If you missed it the first time, this is the one to start with.
00:00 Best of — intro
00:31 An unlikely path: math, mock trial, law, and politics
03:02 What Capitol Hill experience brings — politics as "a sport of addition"
04:52 Finding intersection among diverse stakeholders
06:04 Translating between groups — the 11–2 DC Council vote
07:49 Why listening is the underrated skill in public affairs
11:46 Three jurisdictions and the federal-land overlay of the RFK site
14:42 Building a real estate team for a real estate project
17:12 Legislative timelines and the 2030 / 2031 World Cup deadlines
20:05 The $2.7B case: housing, environment, and a food desert
21:40 The Nationals ballpark as the blueprint everyone points to
24:23 Partnering with the city — and the mayor's role
26:57 Data & AI: Voice of Fans, the team's RFI, and a roofed stadium
30:51 Experiential design inside and outside the stadium
34:25 The transportation puzzle: Metro, tunnels, and a river
36:09 What drives him: service, joy, and a product you believe in
38:56 Leadership and the Commander Standard — the five C's
41:15 Close
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