Gene Hallman
Gene Hallman Jr. (born 22nd December 1959) is an American sports marketing and event management entrepreneur based in Birmingham, Alabama. He has been cited as one of the most influential sports businessmen in the state of Alabama [1] Hallman serves as Chairman and CEO of Eventive Sports, which he helped start in 1995 as Bruno Event Team. Hallman was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as Distinguished American Sportsman in 2022. [1]
Early life and education
Hallman secured his bachelor's degree in economics from the College of Charleston in 1982. He then completed his MBA from the University of South Carolina in 1985. [1]
Career
Hallman moved to Birmingham in 1991 after being named Tournament Director for the inaugural Bruno's Memorial Classic golf tournament, an official Senior PGA Tour event. As of 2023, he continues to serve as Executive Director of the tournament, which is now known as the Regions Tradition, a major championship on the PGA Tour Champions. In 1995, Hallman co-founded Bruno Event Team providing event management services for a wide variety of sports. In 2023, the company was renamed Eventive Sports (BBJ).
Hallman specialized in golf tournaments, and over the years has managed events on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour, and Korn Ferry Tour. His company also has managed numerous major tournaments, including the U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Women’s Open, and the 2013 Walker Cup. In 1996, Hallman began branching out into other sports, as the CEO of Birmingham Olympic Soccer, which helped oversee the men’s soccer matches held in Birmingham as part of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Hallman’s continuous effort with soccer led him to managing various sports event including a 2005 Men’s World Cup qualifier between the USA and Guatemala, a 2015 USA Women’s World Cup Victory Tour match vs. Haiti, numerous men’s, and women’s USA team friendlies, and two NCAA Championships in 2011-12. Hallman helped bring the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in 1996 and assisted the SEC in managing the event from 1998-2022.
Hallman and his company were responsible for marketing, sponsorship sales, and venue operations for the 2022 World Games in Birmingham. That same year, he helped bring the USFL to Birmingham. Eventive Sports currently manages the marketing efforts and Gameday Operations for the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He has also been involved with the management of the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials in Birmingham, two Davis Cup ties (2009 and 2017) and a Fed Cup tie (2010) in tennis, the 2014 NCAA Gymnastics Championship, and numerous SEC Gymnastics Championships. Hallman and his company promoted four World Boxing Championships Heavyweight Title Fights featuring Tuscaloosa native, Deontay Wilder in Birmingham between 2015 – 2017. [2]
In the fall of 2021, Hallman and his company partnered with the Alabama Department of Public Health to launch the KICK COVID vaccination and testing campaign for students across 13 universities in the state of Alabama. [2]
Awards and recognition
2022-Inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as the Distinguished American Sportsman. [3]
2017-Birmingham Business Journal CEO of the Year
2017-Tourism Promoter of the Year by the Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association
2012 - Inducted into the Birmingham Golf Association Hall of Fame [3]
2010 - Inducted Top 40 Under 40 Alumni Hall of Fame: Birmingham Business Journal [3]
2003 - Alabama Man of the Year: March of Dimes
1998 - Outstanding Community Sales and Marketing Award: Birmingham Sales and Marketing Executives
1997 - Best in Business Rising Star Award: Birmingham Business Journal
1996 - Alabama Marketer of the Year: American Marketing Association
1996 - Birmingham Man of the Year: Birmingham Business Journal
1996 - Torchbearer for the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta
1995 - Birmingham Person of the Year: Birmingham Magazine
1995 - Communicator of the Year: International Association of Business Communicators
1995 - Top 40 Under 40: Birmingham Business Journal
Personal life
Hallman lives in Birmingham with his wife, Jennifer, and his two children, Ella (2003) and Marshall (2005).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Ranking the Top 25 Most Influential People in Alabama Sports". 2017-08-02. https://www.al.com/sports/2017/08/top_25_most_influential_people.html. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "A Lifetime in Sports Gene Hallman the Biggest Sports Promoter in Town". 2022-06-24. https://vestaviavoice.com/news/a-lifetime-in-sports-gene-hallman-the-biggest-sports-promote/. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Gene Hallman's Career Path Lands Him in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". 2022-03-22. https://www.otmj.com/the-sporting-life-hallmans-career-path-lands-him-in-the-alabama-sports-hall-of-fame/. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
