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This week on The CEO Series, we went to Riddell headquarters to get a sneak peek into the leadership program of the sports equipment giant’s president and CEO Dan Arment.
“Smart helmets will be the future of football,” Arment told me. “What we do at his company is really important: we continue to create games for athletes with innovative technologies.”
Watch the video above to hear Arment’s insights on the growth of his company and the multibillion-dollar sport it supports. And read below to get the highlights of that conversation, which have been edited for length and clarity.
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Creating impact through safer impacts
“Riddell’s share in the NFL is approximately 75 percent, and our share at the collegiate level is 85 percent. Riddell develops technologies and equipment for all levels of play, and one of our goals is to ensure that those technologies used at elite level are pushed down to the lowest level.” all levels of the game. Most of the innovations in helmet technology came from Riddell because we saw the opportunity to use a database of over 8 million impacts and start mining data for teams, coaches, strength and conditioning coaches to understand. what’s happening to their athletes from an impact perspective.”
Action plan to tackle inflation
“Due to inflation, we’ve seen cost increases across the board, whether it’s material costs, labor costs or transportation costs. The challenge is that football program budgets are pretty constant. They don’t necessarily react immediately to inflation. So we have to balance the cost increases that we can pass on while ensuring that the product remains accessible at all levels.”
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Leadership heroes
“I have had great mentors throughout my career, but if there is one person who has truly supported me the most, it is my wife Julie. We have moved around the country multiple times with three babies in diapers. When you leaving a support system and having to go somewhere else and start all over again, it’s not easy and I wasn’t home much to run the business, so I think it’s fair to say that his support throughout this process has been a crucial part of what we were able to accomplish.”
Always had a passion for football
“I grew up loving football, wanting to play football. I’m the youngest of six children. I remember going to one of my older brother’s college games and my other brother and I were in the tunnel while the team came out on the pitch. The roar of the crowd – it was like electric I said, ‘Wow, I want to do this.’ And I did. Football was always part of what I did.”
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Leadership lessons
“I’m very focused on results, so I tend to be pretty direct. But at the same time, I’ve learned over the years that you have to empower people. Set strategic direction, align people on what you’re trying to do, and do step back. The longer you stay in a role, the more you understand the pace of the business and what your priorities are and where you should focus. So I’ve learned where I need to lean in and where I need to step back and let people do that what are they doing.”
Discover more profiles of innovative and impactful leaders by visiting the CEO Series archives.