Gene Hallman

Gene Hallman is a sports event entrepreneur. He is best known for his work developing sports tourism in Birmingham, Alabama.[1] Hallman is the President and co-founder of sports event company Eventive Sports. He also serves as the CEO of Bruno Hospitality, ZOOM Motorsports,[2] and the non-profit, Alabama Sports Council (formerly Alabama Sports Foundation).[3][4] Hallman was born in South Carolina in 1960. In the early 1990s, he quit his job and moved to Birmingham, where he organized a Senior PGA TOUR event. Over time, his sporting events business expanded to other sports and geographic areas.

Early life and education

Hallman was born circa 1960[5] in Anderson, South Carolina. His family moved to Irmo, South Carolina when he was a child. Hallman graduated from Irmo High School.[6] Hallman received his bachelor's degree in economics from the College of Charleston in 1982, then completed his MBA from the University of South Carolina in 1985.[7]

Career  

Initially, Hallman worked for NCR Corporation.[8][9] In 1990, Hallman quit his job[8] and started working as a self-employed agent for golfers, such as the PGA Tour's Corey Pavin.[10] He moved to Birmingham, Alabama, in November 1991 to serve as a director for a new tournament on the Senior PGA tour.[10][11]

In 1995, when the Bruno's grocery chain was sold, former Bruno's CEO Ronald Bruno and Hallman co-founded the firm Bruno Event Team together.[10] Over time, the business expanded to other sports, in addition to golf.[12] It was largely a local business in Birmingham, until it started expanding in the early 2000s with events for the U.S. Women's Open.[12] Bruno also organized the soccer matches at Legion Field for the 1996 Summer Olympics.[13][10]

The Bruno Event Team became one of the largest sporting events management firms.[8][14] Bruno sold his interest in the company in 2022, when he retired.[10] The company was renamed to Eventive Sports, then was acquired by a company called Troon in 2024.[15] In 2022, Hallman was awarded the Distinguished American Sportsman Award by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.[10][14]

References

  1. ^ McGowin, Warner (April 2004). "Birmingham's Sports Ambassador". SouthernLiving. pp. 12–15.
  2. ^ Grant, Rubin (March 22, 2022). "The Sporting Life: Hallman's Career Path Lands Him in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". Over the Mountain Journal.
  3. ^ Anderson, Jon (June 3, 2016). "Hoover overcame unprecedented competition to keep SEC Baseball Tournament, officials said". HooverSun.com. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Story of Success". Anderson Independent Mail. May 29, 2005. p. Section C.
  5. ^ Grant, Rubin (March 22, 2022). "The Sporting Life: Hallman's Career Path Lands Him in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". Over the Mountain Journal.
  6. ^ "Story of Success". Anderson Independent Mail. May 29, 2005. p. Section C.
  7. ^ Grant, Rubin E. (March 22, 2022). "The Sporting Life: Hallman's Career Path Lands Him in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". Over The Mountain Journal.
  8. ^ a b c Grant, Rubin (March 22, 2022). "The Sporting Life: Hallman's Career Path Lands Him in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". Over the Mountain Journal.
  9. ^ "Story of Success". Anderson Independent Mail. May 29, 2005. p. Section C.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Estes, Cary (April 29, 2022). "Gene Hallman: Impacting Alabama's sports scene for 30 years". Business Alabama Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Villanueva, Andre (July 10, 2022). "Bruno Event Team: The Secret Behind The World Games". Doing More Today. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Estes, Cary (December 2008). "Managing the Details". Birmingham.
  13. ^ McGowin, Warner (April 2004). "Birmingham's Sports Ambassador". SouthernLiving. pp. 12–15.
  14. ^ a b Heim, Mark (December 10, 2021). "Alabama Sports Hall of Fame to recognize Gene Hallman". al. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Eventive Sports acquired by Arizona company". Business Alabama Magazine. January 5, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
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