A Fond Farewell

For the past five years, I have had the privilege of working with an incredible mentor and the driving visionary for Sports360AZ. Brad Cesmat has taught me about sports journalism, integrity and has entrusted in me the privilege of working for an incredible company. Brad is all about family which is seen with his devotion, trust, loyalty and love. He has brought that to his company and has made me feel like family.

It is therefore with very mixed feelings that I tell you that this will be my last post with Sports360AZ. For the next stage of my career I will be working as the Digital Communications Manager with Troon Golf starting December 5th.

As I depart, I would like to leave you with a few thoughts.

Sports360AZ fills a great need in our community and delivers a product that is incomparable. For those of you who have regularly joined us on the myriad of platforms we utilize, I thank you. I am certain that Brad’s overall vision will continue to excite you, inform you and further your love for Arizona sports.

I must also express my heartfelt appreciation for my good friend and colleague Eric Sorenson. Whether producing or in front of the camera, Eric’s commitment to excellence is unyielding and is really one of the best this business has to offer. Work aside, Eric is an incredible person and is someone I have learned so much from. We worked together long before this venture began and have shared in the joy of some of the biggest milestones both our lives have had to offer.

It’s hard to express into words how fortunate I have been to work regularly with Jason Jewell as we have presented the Recruiting Roundup as well as other high school football coverage over the last four years. His knowledge is unmatched, he is truly in it for the kids and his friendship has been and continues to be invaluable.

I am excited to see what is to come with Jordan Hamm. You all would probably have no idea that he has technically been “part time” the last couple of years. He has an incredible work ethic and an even better sense of humor. I’m glad to have gotten to know him since he got started in this industry and can’t wait to see what he does next.

Jared Nielson is the man who makes it happen behind the scenes. Since coming on board, Jared has taken our creative process to level that we only dreamed of as we first got off the ground. Jared brought more out of me as a pro and we grew to work so well together.

Greg Esposito is the most creative person I have had the pleasure of working with. He has taught me so much and no matter what is going on in his life, he is always there to lend a hand. When it comes to great people I have met in this industry, Espo has to be at the top of the list.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the other great people of the sports media industry in town. You have honored me by embracing me as part of this incredible fraternity.

Much to my delight, I have gotten to know many great athletes in this community who turn out to be even greater people. This has held true from the biggest stars in professional sports through the high school athletes who are early in their personal journeys. My friends like to give me a hard time because I root for all these random teams at the college and pro ranks just because there is a local product on the team. Most of that stems from getting to know them and becoming a fan of them as people. Thank you to those athletes for trusting me to tell your stories.

Most of all, I thank the many coaches and family members of these athletes that I’ve had the privilege of meeting and getting to know. You are truly the source of the character and strength of these young men and women who define in a positive way what it means to be an athlete. 

From the bottom of my heart, my family and I sincerely thank you all for the last five years of my life.