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SEAN HENRY PRESIDENT/CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Sean Henry (Twitter: @PREDSident)  is entering his fifth season as the President/Chief Operating Officer and Alternate Governor of The Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena. Henry has brought a unique and aggressive approach that has led the unification of all business fronts creating new organizational levels of success on all fronts.

Since Henry joined the organization, the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena have enjoyed their most successful seasons to date. The Nashville Predators’ Loyal Legion continues to grow in size and revenues in all areas. Sold-out games are now the norm in SMASHVILLE creating an incredible environment for the Predators and their incredible fans. Henry led a team that forged a partnership with Metro Nashville to secure Bridgestone Arena’s new lease with the city of Nashville, keeping the downtown staple thriving and growing through 2028. Through renovations that include the new Nissan SoBro entrance, Tavern96, the Fifth Avenue Pro Shop, the Lexus Lounge and more, Bridgestone continues to evolve toward its ultimate goal to be the #1 Sports and Entertainment venue in the world. These renovations, combined with incredible support from one of the strongest fan bases in the NHL and a synergized business approach between the arena and team created the fourth consecutive year of record-setting event levels at Bridgestone Arena making it once again one of this year’s top ten busiest arenas in the United States.

Henry and the team’s commitment to the community are best evidenced through the work of the Nashville Predators Foundation and the Predators’ dedication to youth hockey development.  The Foundation’s grants and programs funded more than $1 million in programs and donations to 200 local organizations. The organization’s Hearts of Gold program also infused the area with over 6,000 community service hours donated by the organization’s employees, players and staff creating a special workplace environment and changing lives throughout middle Tennessee. The organization will operate and grow hockey, figure skating and on ice activities for all ages and skill levels through the newly constructed Ford Ice Center that debuts this season. This public/private partnership with Metro Nashville will allow for the introduction to skating and hockey to thousands of new participants every year and will enable current players expanded opportunities while enabling Nashville to become the country’s southeast hub for countless tournaments and competitions.

Prior to joining the Predators, Henry spent 11 years with Palace Sports and Entertainment, serving as the Executive Vice President and COO overseeing business operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Pete Times Forum and Single-A baseball’s Asheville Tourists. During this time, the company saw dramatic increases in all revenue areas. The St. Pete Times Forum became one of the busiest venues in the country, built around a Stanley Cup Championship in 2004.

Henry’s two years prior to his stay in Tampa were spent as Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Unity Motion, the first company to deliver High Definition television systems to the residential market and the first to broadcast live HD programming across the United States and the first live sporting event in HD.

Henry started in the sports and entertainment industry in 1983 when he joined Volume Services Inc., as a busboy and would serve in various management roles with the company through 1997. In his time with Volume Services, Henry’s clients included The Detroit Pistons, The St. Louis Rams, and The Washington Redskins.

Henry, a graduate of The State University of New York, married Tracey Manning, a.k.a. the Suburban Diva, 23 years ago. They have four children – sons Steven and Matthew, and daughters Amy and Jessica that never tire of his stories and attempts to recreate scenes from National Lampoon’s Vacation on every one that they take, and are normally captured in the Diva’s writings.

Henry serves on the boards of The Nashville Predators Foundation, The Nashville Downtown Partnership, The Nashville Sports Council and The Sports Fund and as an Adjunct Professor at Belmont University. He and Tracey are also very involved in their children’s schools, sports teams and clubs.