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Phoenix Suns

Tell us about your role within the organization.

As the Manager of Basketball Administration and Salary Cap for the Suns, my job is to essentially serve as the information hub for the front office. Specifically, I support the studies, projects, and ideation of our executive group by analyzing the salary cap landscape for Phoenix and the other 29 teams in the league. One of my main responsibilities is to ensure that all player transactions, such as contract signings or trades, are executed in compliance with the NBA’s rules and procedures. I have been in the basketball operations group for over seven years, and it has been the most fulfilling time of my professional life.&nbsp;

Tell us about the journey and path that led you to this position.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I knew from an early age that I wanted to work in the business of sports. I always tell people that I was that kid who would play the NBA Live and Madden video games to focus on building the best teams through drafts, free agency, and trades instead of playing the actual four-quarter games. I dedicated my academic life in college to studying sports management and law, while interning with teams, agencies, and non-profit organizations in the industry. After working full-time for a couple of years at a sports and entertainment agency, I was fortunate enough to secure a Basketball Operations internship with Phoenix. Eight seasons and a few job title changes later, I still cannot believe the position I am in. I give myself a little credit for working hard in a competitive world, but I attribute most of my success to those who supported me – and to having a whole lot of luck!&nbsp;

In your role as the Manager of Basketball Administration and Salary Cap, what are the primary challenges you encounter in your daily tasks, and conversely, what do you find most fulfilling and rewarding about your responsibilities?&nbsp;

The biggest challenge that comes with my job is the extreme pressure to provide the correct information in any situation. No matter how many years I have been in this position, I will always be a little nervous before pressing 'send’ – especially when it comes to dollars for a player’s salary or summarizing tricky Collective Bargaining Agreement rules. Also, there is a lot of misinformation out there in today’s world, so it is of utmost importance to only disseminate what is factual. As cliché as it may sound, the most fulfilling part about my job is not necessarily the work itself, but instead the relationships with coworkers and league-wide peers that I have developed along the way. Specifically, I am privileged to work alongside the brilliant (and hilarious) Trevor Bukstein, one of our Assistant General Managers. Under his tutelage, I have learned how to navigate the chaotic life of being in the front office. I am fortunate to be able to call him both my mentor and my friend.&nbsp;

Are there any hobbies or activities that you're particularly passionate about outside of your busy work life?&nbsp;

If I’m not looking at a work-related PDF or Excel spreadsheet, you will most likely find me investing all my remaining time, energy, and bandwidth in the relationships with my loved ones. I would rather be hanging out with my amazingly supportive girlfriend, Chuti, and sassy but adorable dog, Icy, than doing anything else. My immediate family is also spread all over the place, so video calls on FaceTime help with the hurt of not physically being with them. Lastly, I love exploring different parks and the food scene around the Phoenix area.&nbsp;

Can you share a little about your Korean-American heritage, and what you do to celebrate your culture?&nbsp;

Although I was born and raised in San Francisco, I very much lived in a household that mirrored my parents’ respective upbringings in South Korea. My incredible and loving appa (dad), umma (mom), and noona (older sister) instilled traditional Korean values in me such as honoring those that came before us, showing unwavering resolve, prioritizing education, and displaying humility. As a kid who attended elementary school with very few classmates who looked like me, I found it difficult to embrace and appreciate who I was. As I gained maturity and experience in navigating life as a minority, I eventually learned that the best way to celebrate my culture was to follow those aforementioned core tenets, appreciate the arts, and enjoy the food that Koreans and Korean-Americans are extremely proud of.&nbsp;

What advice would you give to aspiring professionals, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, who aspire to work in sports.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Networking is not natural or comfortable for everyone, so do not be discouraged if you fall into that category. Instead of focusing on name recognition or requesting to connect with everyone possible, I would recommend making diligent efforts to create genuine relationships with people who reciprocate interest in your career development. You don’t always have to look to connect upwards; get to know peers who are in a similar position as you and help each other out. Also, look into internships and fellowships as soon as you possibly can, even if it’s not in the field you want to work in long-term – you never know what you might fall in love with doing! Once you have your foot in the door, strike that delicate balance of showing a strong presence in the workplace without initiating or instigating drama. For my fellow minorities, do not view being different as a hindrance; we should instead embrace our uniqueness and continue to break barriers in the industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Yale Kim Team Member Spotlight  

phxmyramirez

We believe that every team member contributes to making an amazing experience for the team, fans and our community. Recognizing the off-the-court team, the next team member spotlight is Assistant Controller Jed Richmond. In his role, Jed is responsible for supporting department financials and budgeting, working on end-of-year financial audits and league reporting and more.

Jed has played a vital role with the Finance team for more than 17 years with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Before joining the organization, Jed served with the United States Marine Corps and credits his service for developing his strong sense of teamwork and reliance on others to help accomplish team goals.

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JED RICHMOND

As part of the season-long El Valle program, the Suns have launched a five-piece El Valle merchandise collection designed by local Chicano artists. The t-shirt collection, presented by Hornitos Tequila, will be available online and at the Team Shop throughout the season. Chicana artist La Jefa designed the debut apparel item, available now while supplies last.

"I'm honored and very humbled to be chosen by the Phoenix Suns for this project and to really just show our community, Phoenicians and basketball fans that Chicanos represent a good part of Phoenix culture and Suns culture as well," said La Jefa.

The limited-edition shirt depicts a calavera basketball player wearing the Suns' El Valle City Edition uniform, surrounded by cacti and Camelback Mountain.

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El Valle Local Artist Merchandise Collection: La Jefa

We believe that every team member contributes to making an amazing experience for the team, fans and our community. Recognizing the off-the-court team, the next team member spotlight is the Manager of Live Presentation, Ashley Stovall. In her role, she is responsible for coordinating and executing the logistics around numerous in-game elements from fan contests, entertainment performances, mascot antics and more.

As a key piece of the Live Presentation team for more than seven years with the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, Ashley is integral in creating and managing the atmosphere night in and night out throughout the NBA and WNBA seasons.

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ASHLEY STOVALL

With hundreds of live events from NBA and WNBA games to the grandest concerts and shows, there is never a dull moment at Footprint Center.

And keeping fans and team members safe is the top priority.

Enter Xavier Peru, security controls supervisor at the downtown Phoenix venue, whose goal is to keep everyone safe.

Peru surveys as the proverbial eye in the sky watching over Footprint Center and the Verizon 5G Performance Center, supporting security needs at both facilities.

Observing more than 300 cameras is no small feat.

"We have a lot of things that go on. Things are constantly moving, games, small events, deliveries – it's pretty much a lot of multitasking every day."

Every day is different, and that's quite alright for Peru who enjoys connecting with arena visitors and playing a role in keeping everyone safe.

"I enjoy the interactions with players and coaches, but it's really making sure that everything goes smooth here. Day to day that makes me happy.

My favorite part of the day is when I'm able to do some good to assist whoever, it doesn’t matter who. I just want to make sure that everybody gets home safely and that our building is safe and that everything runs smoothly. I love it."

A native of Berkley, California, Peru moved to the Valley with his family as a young man and quickly became a fan of the Phoenix Suns. He joined the organization in 2017, but his initial experience with the Suns came several decades earlier.

While participating in a community 10K run at the former Metro Center Mall in Phoenix, Peru sparked up a conversation with Suns Ring of Honor member and former athletic trainer Joe Proski, who was also running in the race.

The two stayed in touch and are still friends today. It was a surreal moment for Peru.

Today, he is thankful for his role and finds the day-to-day gratifying.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The most rewarding part of my job is being able to support and protect our staff and our community around us. That's by far the most important thing."

Before his tenure with the organization, Peru supported security for State of Arizona facilities and various hospitals. Reflecting on his career journey, he'd give his younger self a piece of advice:

"Follow your heart. Find something you love. And don't look back."&nbsp;

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: XAVIER PERU

Walking into her first day in 2007 as newly appointed event coordinator for the Phoenix Mercury, Sarah Schock was surprised not to be faced with some of the best basketball players in the WNBA, but with professional wrestlers.

WWE was in town and in preparation for that evening's showdown. To Schock, the experience opened her eyes to a world and future career she did not expect.

&nbsp;"The talent and production teams coordinating the event were absolute pros at doing everything behind the scenes and using the venue super efficiently to make the event happen. It's a bit of a traveling circus," Schock said, reflecting on her start with the organization.

But that day set Schock's career path in a direction she didn't even know existed.

"That day, I fell in love with the concert and events side, the very first day that I walked in and I have never really looked back. I fell in love with the business and the production."

Sixteen years later, Sarah Schock is the assistant general manager for Footprint Center, the home of the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Rattlers and the entertainment industry's grandest concerts and shows.

"My job entails booking the building, working with the NBA and WNBA on creating their team schedules and working with agents and promoters to attract concerts and events to downtown Phoenix. I also lead a super talented team of event managers who are in charge of making all those events come to life," said Schock.

She's fueled by her love for the industry, her home (growing up in nearby Mesa, Arizona) and her talented colleagues that bring things to life at Footprint Center.

"At its core, we're selling our venue to people that may be looking for a home for their event. And I'm really passionate about our venue and our city. So it doesn't feel like I'm selling anything, I'm just sharing my passion and what I love, which is the city and everything I'm so proud of. Our people can make mountains move to make anything happen for these events. We have the best people, the best team to execute any of it. So when you know that you've got that support behind you, and both the city and the team, it makes it really easy to paint a picture of what can happen."

Schock's career has led her to book, coordinate and oversee monumental sporting and entertainment moments and experience the industry's roller coaster of ups and downs.&nbsp;

Reflecting on marquee moments over the past decade and a half include multiple championships with Mercury (the team won its first in 2007 during Schock's first year and again in 2009 and 2014), massive concerts and tours from music's biggest stars like The Eagles, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande and more.

Schock and her team navigated the complexities of the COVID pandemic, spearheading Footprint Center's health and safety protocols. Immediately following the venue's significant renovation, Schock remembers watching NBA games in a nearly empty arena with her colleagues.

"Watching those games happen without fans was kind of a wild, surreal moment," she added.

Several months later, the Suns would host the NBA Finals and Footprint Center was alive and packed with fans—a herculean effort made possible by Schock, her team and countless others.

Throughout her career, Schock has been involved in bringing some of the most significant sporting events to life, including multiple Super Bowls (in Arizona and around the country) and her impact paved the way for Phoenix to be the epicenter of basketball as she was personally involved in securing Footprint Center as the host of the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game and 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four.

The latter event will be extra special for Schock, as she and her team accomplished that feat in the middle of the pandemic.

"We got into the project with the City of Phoenix during COVID. It was when our building was down for renovation and in the height of COVID, when none of us dared be in the same room together," said Schock.

"We had to pitch a vision to the NCAA when they couldn't see our building, and we didn't even see our building because we were in the middle of a renovation and working with renderings. So that one's just a little bit extra special because of the unique partnership and the unique experience of pitching that during COVID. When there was all this uncertainty, and when we won that, it was just such a necessary victory for us in the midst of everything that the world had going on," she added.

Schock is the first to recognize the help and support of those around her who make these large-scale projects happen.

"I work with a super talented team of human beings that bring those events to life. Our job is to fit the different puzzle pieces together that are necessary to make the events work, like food and beverage, guest services, security, event production, rigging, talent riders, all of those kinds of things and figure out how to make them come to life and our building."

Schock is also paving the way for women in the industry as an advocate and positive example of success.

"Whether it's peer to peer or supporting the women that work for you or with you or that you work for, empowerment means acknowledging the great things that women are doing at all levels and making sure that you're a cheerleader and making sure that you're being supportive. Lead from the front and lead from behind the scenes when no one can really see it."

When she's not deep in concerts and basketball, Schock enjoys a slower pace of life, surrounded by those closest to her.

"Family and travel. Those are the things so I'm lucky to have come home and been close to my family. To see them and be near them, is something that I really cherish. And then when I just need to get away, there's no better way to do it than traveling to another country and exploring someplace that I've never been."

Her career and personal advice,&nbsp;lead with kindness.

"I find that leading with kindness in an industry that may not always be kind, is the way that feels most true and authentic to who I am. It feels true and authentic to who our organization is as well. It's our brand, to lead with kindness and be a good team player and hopefully that kindness spills over into how we interact with our fans, making for a really good experience when people come here."

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: SARAH SCHOCK

Sam Harvey

For those who work for a professional sports franchise, landing the job was the culmination of hard work, determination and perseverance. For most, it is the realization of a lifelong dream come true. Although he worked hard to be Senior Desktop Support Technician, working for the Phoenix Suns was not necessarily in Patton Werner’s life plans.

After relocating to the Valley from Sacramento, Werner decided to attend a Suns game at then US Airways Center in 2007. This would be Werner’s first time seeing a basketball game played live. For one who did not grow up a Suns fan, or even a basketball fan at that, this was a life-changing experience.

“It became immediately one of my favorite sports to watch, especially live,” Werner recalled, mentioning the sport felt “larger than life.”

Werner grew up at a time when cassette tapes were becoming CD’s, board games were becoming video games, and typewriters were becoming computers; giving him a natural knack for technology. This intuition helped Werner succeed in multiple industries including home building and manufacturing, hotel hospitality, and retail before transitioning to technology support.

“My aim is not only to get people familiar with the technology that we have here, but to empower them and give them the knowledge and tools necessary to be able to get the most out of it,” Werner said.

Werner embodies the spirit of empowerment. In his two-plus years with the Suns, not only has Werner helped to streamline the technological processes in the workplace, but his primary focus has been to serve the people around him.

“The Help Desk is a people-first position, and technology second,” Werner said. “You have to know how to communicate with people on different technical levels, based not only on your experience but their experience as well.”

When Werner learned of the opening with the Phoenix Suns, he thought about applying but did not believe he would have a great chance of landing the job due to his lack of previous sports experience. However, he remembered advice his dad had once given him to “never be afraid to ask any question.”

“The worst that can happen is they can say no, or I can get one of the greatest opportunities I've ever had in my life,” Werner said. “Now, I'm enjoying the fruits of the labor.”

Something Werner admires about the organization's workplace culture is his colleagues' friendliness and the passion they have for what they do.

“I think everyone here relishes their opportunity to be here,” Werner said. “When they finally get that opportunity to get in the door, they relish it.”

Since starting in April 2021, Werner has seen both the Suns and Mercury make it to the NBA Finals and WNBA Finals, respectively. Working for a championship organization has helped Werner and countless other Suns and Mercury team members feel a part of the success.

“I feel like it's easy for people to believe in it and to be passionate about it,” Werner said.&nbsp; “Especially when you realize that basketball doesn’t happen without everyone’s involvement.”

Werner’s passion for a people-first culture and his infectious personality contribute immensely to the success and camaraderie of the Phoenix Suns team. He has genuinely relished his opportunity and does not take it for granted.

“When I come to work, I know I'm going to have a good experience all day, every day.”

When he’s not working, Werner can be found reading, painting miniatures, or enjoying a movie, his favorite being Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

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Team Member Spotlight: Patton Werner

It’s quiet at the Verizon 5G Performance Center. The Suns offseason is fully underway, and the Phoenix Mercury is more than a month into their 2023 campaign. Despite the calm, Denise Romero is busy at work. As the newly named Team Travel Logistics and Experience Manager for the Phoenix Suns, Romero oversees travel, relocation and onboarding for new staff and players, as well as various responsibilities supporting Basketball Operations.

“All the fun stuff,” Romero says, excited about her new role.

That’s nothing new for Romero, who has been deeply embedded into Valley basketball for more than ten years in a variety of roles. For the past seven seasons, she was the Equipment Manager for the Phoenix Suns, the first woman ever to hold such a role in the NBA. Prior to that, she spent several seasons as the Head after several seasons as the Head Equipment Manager for the Mercury.

Her career in sports began as a young girl, passionate about the sport she loved growing up.

“Basketball has always been my first love,” said Romero.

“I grew up playing basketball with my two sisters. The very first season of the Mercury in 1997, our mom bought us season tickets. We were all a basketball family.”

Those experiences opened the door to a future career.

“Those Mercury games were my first-time realizing kids could work at a basketball game. I saw those ball kids rebounding, mop up sweat, and by the next season, I was hired.”

That’s when 13-year-old Denise’s sports career began, and she’s never looked back.

Nearly two decades later, Romero has paved the way for female equipment managers in the NBA where now multiple women across the league thrive.

“I feel very privileged that the Suns saw a vision that I could work in a men's locker room. They were always supportive of my transition from the WNBA to the NBA. It’s been great&nbsp; getting to know the new women who have entered the equipment roles now, building relationships with them and trying to be a support for all of them.”

Romero shares advice and expertise for aspiring and current female equipment managers and is one of six board members of the National Basketball Equipment Manager’s Association, a 70-plus member professional group committed to advancing the career field. She’s also the only female board member.

Despite the early mornings, late nights, weekends and busy in-season schedule, Romero has most enjoyed the camaraderie built with her “second family.”

“Working for a sports team has been great. It’s like being around a family. It's a second family. It's been wonderful.”

Incredibly wonderful when you get to be a part of three WNBA championship runs and witness the evolution of Valley basketball first-hand.

“I have so much pride in our organization. Seeing the growth and seeing it stay consistent now. It makes my whole work experience better,” said Romero.

“I love coming to work. I get along very well with my colleagues and we all support each other and we like being around each other. The best part is getting to watch basketball every day,” she continued.

When away from basketball, Romero recharges by spending time with her wife and their dogs.

“Lots of walking, hiking, swimming. I love music and entertainment so I go to as many concerts as possible in the evenings, and we enjoy eating at local restaurants and coffee shops.”

While thankful for the abundance of experiences her career with the Suns and Mercury has provided, she’s also grateful for the ability to be unequivocally herself as a gay woman.

“It's everything. I mean, I feel like Pride for me is feeling safe in not only my own body or with my sexuality but feeling safe in my environment. And it's been amazing having a fully supportive community at work along with my family and friends.”

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TEAM MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: DENISE ROMERO, TEAM TRAVEL LOGISTICS AND EXPERIENCE MANAGER

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