David Feherty, the former professional golfer and renowned announcer, will speak at the 51st Annual NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit in Austin, TX.
He will speak at a Tuesday session on May 5, 2015. The longest-running event of its kind in the sporting goods industry will be held May 3-6 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa.
“David clearly has a passion for golf and talking about the sport and there is no doubt he is going to bring a lot of energy to the conference,” said NSGA President and CEO Matt Carlson. “He will also bring a lot of expertise about a sport experiencing many challenges in recent years that are impacting our industry.”
Feherty, a native of Northern Ireland, had a successful professional career, claiming 10 victories worldwide and more than $3 million in prize money. He also spent time on the PGA Tour before retiring in 1997 to become a golf commentator for CBS Sports. He has authored three New York Times bestselling books and is a frequent contributor and columnist in Golf Magazine.
The Golf Channel has aired four full seasons of “Feherty,” which is its most popular program. No topic was off limits in the original series that shared revealing interviews with personalities such as former President Clinton, Donald Trump, actor Samuel L. Jackson and basketball legend Bill Russell. One critic said, “Feherty is like the man: brutally honest, funny, maddeningly scattered.”
Feherty is also a big supporter of seriously injured U.S. Troops. Through his Troops First Foundation, Feherty stages events for wounded Special Forces, Green Berets and other U.S. heroes involving golf, hunting, bicycling and skiing.
“To be able to give them some of that dignity back is my mission these days,” Feherty said. “It’s not a charity. It’s just us trying to pay back a very small part of the check that we owe them.”
The NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit will feature general education sessions and sessions geared specifically toward the team dealer side of the business. The event will include a tennis clinic, golf tournament, “Mr. Newsome’s Neighborhood Walk” with Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Famer Mickey Newsome, and new opportunities to connect in a social setting.
Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr., who set the record for consecutive games played with 2,632, will speak to open the Monday session of the Management Conference on Monday, May 4. That afternoon, companies that have made significant contributions to the industry will be recognized at the fourth annual NSGA All-Star Awards Luncheon.
The inaugural NSGA INNOVATIONS ARENA will be held May 4-5 and will give a maximum of 10 companies in both New Sporting Goods Products and New Retail Technology sections the chance to showcase their products. For more details go to www.nsga.org.
The 60th Annual Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony will be held on Tuesday night, May 5. Bill Jackson of Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure and David Beckerman of Starter make up the Class of 2015 and will join more than 150 leaders, innovators and industry icons who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
More details on other speakers and the educational programs will be announced soon and registration will begin in January 2015. For more details on the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.
