Autosportradio.com guests for Tuesday February 27th…
Allison MeglangtonAllison joined Hulman Motorsports Corporation as Senior Vice President on November 1, 2014 and is responsible for overall production of major events and strategic planning at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the famed Indianapolis 500 mile race. In 2016, she led the planning and execution of the 100th Running of the Indy 500 which was recognized as Sports Business Journal’s Sports Event of the Year.
Prior to joining Hulman Motor Sports, Melangton served on the Executive Leadership team of Indiana Sports Corp for twenty years, serving the last two years as President from September 1, 2012 until October of 2014. Four of those years were serving as CEO and president of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee from 2008 through 2012.
Widely regarded as the most engaging and successfully organized Super Bowl in history, Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis featured the Super Bowl Village, which drew more than 1.1 million people to downtown Indianapolis; $154 million of investment in the city’s Near Eastside through the Legacy Project; more than 8,000 volunteers serving in a variety of roles; and community, youth and green initiatives that impacted hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Melangton was honored with a “Sagamore of the Wabash” by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels in 2012, and recognized as a “Living Legend” by the Indiana Historical Society in 2014. Sports Business Journal, the nation’s industry-leading publication, named Melangton as a recipient of its “Game Changer” Award in 2012. In 2017 Melangton received recognition for two Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Jefferson Award for Community Impact and College Mentors for Kids. Melangton also serves on the Board of Directors for OneAmerica Financial Partners, Inc., the Indianapolis Public Safety Foundation, the 500 Festival, and the Indianapolis Economic Club.
Melangton was nationally recognized with the 2011 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for working as a liaison between the National Football League and the Indianapolis community for the 2012 Super Bowl. Melangton is also 2009 graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy.
Melangton is a graduate of Colorado State University with a bachelor of arts in Sports Administration. Prior to joining Indiana Sports Corp, Melangton directed national and international events for 11 years for Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. Melangton also worked at nine Olympic Games, the last six as an Associate Producer for the gymnastics broadcast by NBC Sports, the most recent the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work as a member of the NBC Sports broadcast team.
Allison has been married for 30 years to husband, Tom, and has one son, Cameron, who is 24.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced today that Matt Mindrum will serve as its Vice President of Marketing and Communications, leading all promotional efforts at the Speedway. Mindrum was the Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Butler University and joined the IMS team on Sept. 19.
“Matt has both the experience and proven leadership skills necessary to ensure the Indianapolis Motor Speedway continues to grow and excel,” Hulman Motorsports Chief Marketing Officer CJ O’Donnell said. “As we work to grow our talent base and deliver world-class entertainment opportunities to our fans, Matt will be a key addition to our team.”
At the Speedway, Matt will be responsible for advancing the IMS brand and promoting all IMS events, including the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard and the Red Bull Air Race. He and his team will be charged with increasing year-round fan engagement at the world’s greatest racetrack. Immediate priorities will be the marketing campaign for the 101st Running of the Indy 500 and partnering with the broader Hulman Motorsports team to further the success of the Verizon IndyCar Series.
“I’m humbled by the opportunity to join such a talented team and to contribute to the continued growth and success of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mindrum . “I can’t imagine a better place from which to advance our sport and our city.”
Mindrum takes on this new role following a key staffing transition at the Speedway. The Vice President of Marketing and Communications reports to the CMO of Hulman Motorsports.
At Butler, Mindrum’s responsibilities included campus-wide brand management and strategic communications, creative services, media and community relations and leadership of the Butler Arts Center. During his tenure, Butler raised its national profile, expanded community partnerships, and welcomed the largest class in the institution’s 160-year history.
Prior to joining Butler in 2013, Matt worked at Eli Lilly & Company, where he began his career as a sales representative, managed consumer marketing for a multi-billion-dollar franchise, and directed marketing efforts for Lilly’s first product launch in the U.S. Alzheimer’s market.
Matt has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, in Vocal Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He was a graduate of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
Jay Frye Jay was named INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations in November of 2015 and leads all operations, competition, and technical matters for the Verizon IndyCar Series, with a focus on ensuring the series delivers best racing product possible. Frye originally joined the company in 2013 as Chief Revenue Officer of Hulman Motorsports and led the combined team of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway sponsorship sales, licensing and account services. In 2014, the team secured the INDYCAR title sponsorship agreement with Verizon, as well as the addition and expansion of several other corporate partners including TAG Heuer and Angie’s List.
Prior to joining Hulman Motorsports, Frye was the vice president and general manager at Red Bull Racing’s NASCAR team (2008-2011), which produced two points wins, 10 pole positions and a Cup Chase position in 2009. During his first year with the team, the Frye-led Red Bull Racing won the Showdown at Charlotte, launched its own in-house chassis program and earned its first pole at Michigan. A year later came two monumental achievements – a berth in the Chase and the team’s first victory when Brian Vickers drove the No. 83 car into the winner’s circle at Michigan International Speedway.