Forty Under 40

GARY GIBSON/THE RICHARDS GROUP

In high school, Kern Egan read a Sports Illustrated story about an agent whose name he can’t recall. Bitten by the bug, he chose Indiana University, lured by its sports management program and a fervent desire to be the next Mark McCormack. Once there, he decided that IU’s Kelley School of Business was a better place for him. Egan’s future was confirmed when none of the 30-plus sports agencies he contacted during his senior year saw fit to take him on.

But as a founder and principal at Richards Sports & Entertainment since 2003, he’s been an agent of change rather than simply a sports agent.

“Bringing clients a wealth of experience across marketing as opposed to just sports is vital, and that’s what has allowed us to succeed,” said Egan, whose Richards Group subsidiary has doubled in growth over each of the past three years.

Principal among the group’s accomplishments was getting Bridgestone, then a relatively sleepy brand in the U.S., to make some large sports marketing investments, including a PGA Tour sponsorship, followed by a deal to sponsor the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show, and an MLB deal for its Firestone brand. Consequently, a brand comparable to Michelin in sales has seen metrics jump in brand recognition and preference, and grown sales in the U.S. at a time when the domestic tire market was shrinking.

Other client success stories include Advance Auto Parts’ title sponsorship of Feld Entertainment’s expansive Monster Jam truck series, and the growing presence of MetroPCS across team sports and venues.

“Kern’s group combines this ability to get things done quickly with really deep knowledge across marketing and advertising so as we’ve grown, we’ve come to rely on them,” said Patrick Wong, director of field marketing at growing cell service MetroPCS.