Forty Under 40: Todd Fleming
Mention Todd Fleming’s name among colleagues and friends and a consistent picture emerges: One of a leader, communicator and above all, motivator.
Those skills can be traced to Fleming’s college days as a point guard for Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio., and he’s quick to say they’ve helped him rise through the industry, from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sales department to one of the most instrumental voices at Legends. Since joining Legends in 2010 after stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Charlotte Bobcats, Fleming has helped complete the New York Yankees’ $40 million renovation to George M. Steinbrenner Field, assisted the Chargers in their move to Los Angeles and helped the company win the right to sell premium seats for the Raiders’ new stadium in Las Vegas.
Asked what he’s most proud of in this early stage of his career, Fleming stressed the experiences he’s had abroad on behalf of Legends. In late 2016, Fleming took a leading role in helping to assimilate International Stadia Group’s business after Legends’ acquisition of the London-based outfit. At the time of the acquisition, ISG was in a joint venture with Centerplate on the Atlético Madrid stadium project, whose premium sales were falling well below expectations. Ten months from the stadium’s opening, Fleming flew to Madrid, took over the project, and (in his second language, Spanish) steered the stadium to a smooth September 2017 opening, complete with a projected 175 percent increase in premium revenue.
What makes Fleming the man who can get these things done? “I’m energetic. You try not to ever be down. A lot of my job is managing managers of projects that we have. I enjoy being able to dive in with the sales staff, and a huge part of that is motivation. You have to keep them motivated on a daily basis.
“At the end of the day the success that we have is all because of our clients’ trust in us.”