Presently serving as the Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for the Denver Nuggets, Emily Maguire started with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment in 2008 and has been with the company for 12+ years.
Maguire grew up in Vermont and attended her home state's University, majoring in Finance and Marketing. She is currently continuing her education with evening classes at Harvard Extension School, working toward a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Finance.
During her decade-long service to KSE, Maguire has been fortunate to receive many internal promotions starting with the company as an inside sales representative and working her way up through the ranks of the ticket sales offices for both the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Rapids.
“I found that a career in Sports Sales and Leadership combines both my interests in data-driven decision making and the creativity of problem-solving in live events,” Maguire said about the mixing of personal interests and a professional path post-college.
“One of the things that makes me proudest is watching other people (and especially women!) grow their careers and be successful in their work. I am incredibly proud any time we can announce an internal promotion or when I see someone who has worked hard and is growing and advancing professionally.”
When asked about her current role, Maguire was quick to point out two things she loves: the people and the projects.
“KSE is a special place because of the incredible people that I get to work for and work with. I love that every day in our industry comes with new challenges and new problems to solve. At the end of the day, we want our fans to make lifelong memories and have incredible experiences at Nuggets games.”
While Maguire’s dedication and proven hard work have led to her immediate success in Denver, she further loves working for a company that designs unique opportunities for staff across its vast sports and entertainment properties.
“I’ve been able to attend concerts and shows at multiple KSE venues, meet players and alumni from our teams, create those connections and share best practices with our partners at Arsenal Football Club and the Los Angeles Rams,” Maguire said on owner Stan Kroenke’s various entities. “Working at KSE has so much value, and I love that we can create the same memory-making experiences for our staff that we offer to our fans.”
Maguire also loves diving deeper into the little details, spending time to look at how her team can make exceptional experiences for fans and how they solve challenges that arise daily. She has spent a lot of time doing just that this past year, given the current environment in sports.
“This environment in sports is unprecedented, but we commit every day to focus on our fans and solving new challenges as a team.”
While this past year has certainly been a challenge for all, Maguire has found strength in having and being a mentor.
“Mentorship is incredibly powerful. My advice to all women is to build a strong professional network of people who have many different backgrounds and viewpoints and to take time to build genuine relationships with them. Then take the time to mentor others. The ultimate give-back is to be able to help talented people grow their careers and to have the chance to bring them up with you.”
Mentorship is also a great way to find inspiration in those around you and Maguire has surely found a lot of inspiration in the women she is surrounded with at KSE.
“A woman that made the biggest impact on me is Marisa Colaiano,” Maguire said on who she looked up to the most. “Marisa worked for the Colorado Rapids early in my career and she was strong, intelligent, and outspoken about things that were important to her. She gave so much back to the Denver community and to the players but publicly didn’t take credit for her work. As a woman early in my sports career, Marisa was an incredible role model of what it looked like to be a strong woman and I wish I had told her that more often.”
Wanting to inspire other women in return, Maguire advises fellow females to never second guess their talent or ability when it comes to the next role or project.
“I would rather try something and fail than to never have tried at all,” she noted. “Don’t be afraid of hard work. We often say that sales techniques can be taught but being someone who will work hard and be open to learning are things only you can control. Those attributes make all the difference in how successful you will be.”