Photo Credit: Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photography/Ottawa REDBLACKS
The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) announced that Jeff Hunt will step-down as the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ President at the end of this year. Hunt, an OSEG ownership partner, will maintain his other roles with the organization: OSEG Board Member, REDBLACKS’ Alternate Governor and Governor of the Ottawa 67’s Hockey Club.
“I’m an entrepreneur and marketer at heart,” said Hunt. “The day-to-day operations of a business is not my favorite thing. We have many strong business people at OSEG and they don’t need me checking-up on them. As an OSEG partner, I’ll still be up-to-speed on our teams and the business and have an opportunity to contribute to future growth and success.”
Hunt’s entrepreneurial history is well-known. He founded a carpet cleaning business in the early 1990’s and grew it into a multi-million dollar company before selling in 1998. He then purchased the Ottawa 67’s and won a Memorial Cup. In 2008, he partnered with fellow Ottawa business leaders Roger Greenberg, John Ruddy, William Shenkman and John Pugh to form OSEG, and, together, they were awarded a CFL franchise, built a new stadium/urban lifestyle district, and hosted and won a Grey Cup.
“I feel this is the right time for me to start exploring other entrepreneurial opportunities,” Hunt continued. “It’s a great feeling when you help launch a successful business. I’ve had a lot of success with that over the years, learned a lot of lessons along the way, and I’d be happy to help other companies and entrepreneurs by sharing my experiences with them.”
“We’re happy for Jeff,” said OSEG CEO Mark Goudie. “His ideas and entrepreneurial spirit were valuable assets during our start-up phase. Jeff has been passionate about our fan experience and I know he will continue to be an asset to OSEG at the ownership and Board level.”
