Alex Martins Profession: Chief Operating Officer/Orlando Magic

Alex Martins, who has spent over 20 years in professional sports management and re-joined the Orlando Magic in June of 2005, was named chief operating officer on May 3, 2006.

Martins, who served in various senior-level management capacities with the Magic between 1989-98 and the organization's executive vice president of marketing and franchise relations in 2005-06, oversees the day-to-day business operations of the club, including marketing, ticket sales, season ticket services and operations, community relations, broadcasting, corporate partnerships, communications, government relations, arena development, and business strategy and development.

In recent years, Martins led the Magic in its community and marketing efforts, while overseeing a ticket sales effort which saw the largest increase in attendance in the NBA, the most new sales and season tickets sold in the league, the largest group sales effort in team history and the highest season ticket renewal rate over the last seven years. This season the Magic have built its season ticket base to its highest level in the last 12 years.

At the 2007 NBA Sales and Marketing Meetings, the Magic organization was awarded the "New Full Season Ticket Award" for being No. 1 in the NBA in new full season tickets sold, a "90 Percent Renewal Award" for being just one of five teams to achieve a 90 percent or higher season ticket renewal rate, a "Sponsorship Account Performance Award" for the extraordinary number of accounts secured by the Corporate Partnerships Department and the "Most Improved Retail Award" for the team's retail sales performance.

Martins was instrumental in helping to secure a new state-of-the-art Events Center in Orlando. The Events Center is part of a public community venues program that also includes a new Performing Arts Center and a renovation of the Citrus Bowl Stadium. The new Events Center is under construction and scheduled to open in October 2010. In addition, the Magic also contributed $12.5 million toward construction of five community recreation centers throughout Orange County, Florida, as part of its commitment to build the new Events Center.

Martins originally joined the Magic as director of publicity/media relations in April 1989. In September of 1996, he was promoted to senior director of communications, overseeing all internal and external communications for the organization. He also previously served as the Chairman of the Board of the Magic Action Team Community Fund. The Magic Action Team Fund developed into the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, which has distributed more than $12 million to local non-profit organizations during the last 16 years. Additionally, Martins served on the developmental board which formulated the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. The program has been funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual Masters degrees in Sport Management and Business Administration.

Since leaving the Magic in 1998, he also has served as the senior vice president of marketing and branding for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets, and vice president of communications and public affairs with the NFL's Cleveland Browns. In 2003, he returned to Orlando to serve as vice president of sports ventures with the Tavistock Group. In his role with Tavistock, Martins served as tournament director of The Tavistock Cup, a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Martins started his career as a student assistant in the Villanova sports information department. He assisted in the Philadelphia 76ers public relations department from 1986-1988, and was also the assistant sports information director at Georgetown University (1988-89).

Martins currently serves on the Executive Committee and board of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, the Board of Governors of the Regional Orlando Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for Florida Children's Hospital, the board of directors of the Coalition for the Homeless and the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness. Martins is also the Vice Chair of the Central Florida Partnership, of which he will serve as Chair in 2010.

Martins earned his MBA from the University of Central Florida where he was recently inducted into the College of Business Administration's Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Dean's Executive Council for the College of Business Administration at UCF and was honored with the opportunity to serve as Commencement Speaker for the University's Commencement in August of 2008.

A native of Kearny, New Jersey, Martins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Villanova, where he graduated from in 1986.