E. Stanley Kroenke

Owner & Governor, Kroenke Sports Enterprises, LLC

Mr. E. Stanley Kroenke was officially introduced as the owner of the Colorado Rapids on September 23, 2003 and has been a top proponent of soccer in the state of Colorado and the United States ever since.

Kroenke Sports Enterprises, Mr. Kroenke’s Denver-based company, also owns the National Basketball Association’s Denver Nuggets, the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, and the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth. His teams have hosted the 2001 NHL All-Star Game, the 2004 and 2009 NLL All-Star Games, the 2005 NBA All-Star Game and the 2007 MLS All-Star Game, bringing some of the world’s most famous athletes to Denver.

KSE’s dedication to success has been evidenced by the consistent playoff runs of its teams. The Rapids continue to build excitement for the world’s game in the Rocky Mountain region further by the club’s 2010 MLS Cup championship. The Avalanche has made the playoffs in 12 of its 14 seasons in Denver and defeated the New Jersey Devils in June 2001 to win the Stanley Cup, the second in franchise history (1996). The Nuggets have returned to prominence with a remarkable turnaround this decade and are one of only three NBA teams to make the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, including a remarkable run to the 2009 Western Conference Finals. The Mammoth has been a playoff participant in seven of its eight seasons and won the NLL championship in 2006.

In August 2010, National Football League owners unanimously approved Mr. Kroenke’s bid to become principal owner of the St. Louis Rams. A native Missourian, Mr. Kroenke played a vital role in bringing the NFL back to St. Louis in 1995. Prior to becoming the majority owner of the Rams, he was the minority owner of the team. With his real estate development expertise, Mr. Kroenke was instrumental in the building of Rams Park, now known as the Russell Training Center.

In February 2007, Mr. Kroenke purchased a significant stake in Arsenal FC. He owns more than 29 percent of London’s storied football club. The initial investment came months after KSE and the Colorado Rapids formed a landmark marketing and strategic partnership with the famed Barclays Premier League club. The relationship has been further strengthened by the completion of KSE’s acquisition of 50 percent shareholding in Arsenal Broadband Limited. In September 2008, Mr. Kroenke was appointed to the Arsenal board as a non-executive director.

Under Mr. Kroenke’s direction, KSE completed three of the company’s most ambitious projects to date. On April 7, 2007 KSE opened Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The state-of-the-art sports facility on more than 160 acres in Commerce City, Colo., seats 18,000 fans for field sports and up to 27,000 for concerts. The award-winning field at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park has been heralded as “one of the finest pitches in the world” by numerous international players and coaches who have played at the complex. In November 2008, the stadium hosted Colorado’s first-ever World Cup qualifier between USA and Guatemala.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park also includes 24 surrounding playing fields for youth and adult recreational sports such as soccer, lacrosse and rugby. The complex anchors the 917-acre Prairie Gateway site that is a public-private partnership between KSE and Commerce City. The site is host to the Commerce City municipal hall, retail facilities, offices for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a visitors’ center for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. The project has created hundreds of jobs in the community and is expected to generate thousands more as the growth continues.

Altitude Sports & Entertainment, a 24-hour regional television network began operation in September 2004, becoming the new television home for the Nuggets and Avalanche. Altitude also features other professional, collegiate and high school sporting events, as well as outdoors and lifestyle programming, entertainment and community interest coverage throughout the Rocky Mountain West.

TicketHorse became the official and exclusive ticket provider for both primary and secondary ticket sales for all KSE properties in July 2009. TicketHorse is committed to the highest standards of service to buyers and sellers, ticketing millions of consumers throughout Colorado.

One of KSE’s primary focuses has been the Colorado community and civic causes. More than $15.5 million in contributions have been made to Colorado charities through Kroenke Sports Charities and the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche Community Funds.

Kroenke Sports Enterprises purchased the Paramount Theatre, a historic landmark in downtown Denver, in July 2002. The venerable theatre remains a vibrant, multi-event facility where Denver residents and visitors enjoy a wide variety of entertainment ranging from classic concerts to family shows, dance productions, comedic performances and charitable events each year. Pepsi Center and the Paramount Theatre are home to more than 250 events annually including world renowned concerts such as Madonna, Celine Dion, U2 and Lady Gaga.

Peak Entertainment, LLC, a joint venture of Kroenke Sports Enterprises and AEG Live Rocky Mountains, opened 1STBANK Center together in March 2010. The multi-use arena accommodates up to 6,500 people for a mixture of events located in Broomfield, Colo.

Mr. Kroenke’s enthusiasm and vision ensure that Denver will continue to be the top entertainment destination in the Rocky Mountain region for generations to come. Local media outlets have consistently named Mr. Kroenke one of the most significant people in the Denver arts and entertainment community, saying “No other person entertains more people more often.”

In August of 2008, Pepsi Center played host to the Democratic National Convention. Tens of thousands of delegates, journalists, volunteers and patrons descended on Denver and the Pepsi Center for the Convention. The landmark event ranks as one of the most important in KSE and Colorado history. Millions of people around the world watched the Convention, which city officials estimated boosted the local economy by nearly $270 million.

Mr. Kroenke is chairman and owner of The Kroenke Group, a private real estate investment and development company with properties located throughout the United States and Canada. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as one of the nation’s leading real estate developers. One of the largest ranch property owners in North America, Mr. Kroenke’s ownership stakes also includes the Screaming Eagle and Jonata vineyards.

Mr. Kroenke’s current and former board and trustee memberships include Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Central Bank Holding Company, Boone County National Bank, Community Investments Partnership of St. Louis, the College of the Ozarks, and the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame. He is a member of St. Louis’ Civic Progress, which provides support and leadership for various community improvements that promote economic development, education and quality of life. In February 2009, Mr. Kroenke was enshrined into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Mr. Kroenke holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Whitney, an award winning documentary film producer; and a son, Josh, Governor and President of the Denver Nuggets and Governor of the Colorado Avalanche.