CCO Council Awards Oklahoma City Thunder’s Winemiller 2013 CCO of the Year

The Chief Customer Officer (CCO) Council, the only member-led peer-advisory network offering insight and assistance into the critical issues facing CCOs, named Pete Winemiller, Senior Vice President, Guest Relations for the Oklahoma City Thunder as the 2013 CCO of the Year. 

The CCO of the Year Award recognizes the CCO who has made the greatest strides in improving customer relationships, driving profitable customer behavior, creating a customer-centric culture and helping other customer executives to achieve similar results. The award is presented each year at the CCO Summit, which took place on Oct. 16-17, 2012 at Teradata Corporation’s Customer Briefing Center outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

“I’m extremely pleased to recognize the outstanding contribution of Pete Winemiller this year,” said Curtis N. Bingham, Founder and Executive Director of the CCO Council. “Pete is continually learning from other companies and disciplines and creating powerfully loyal customers. A generous and tireless educator, Pete is willing and eager to share anything he has found that works for him with other people, regardless of their industry or their needs.“

Founded in 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder has developed into an NBA franchise with strong fan, corporate and community support throughout the state. Driven by a philosophy of teamwork and humility, the team stands at the pinnacle of a regional cultural renaissance and strives to focus on community outreach and involvement.

Winemiller manages the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Guest Relations department. In addition to pursuing the goal of creating a fan-centric game environment, he has established a training protocol focused on educating Thunder frontline staff on the concept he developed entitled “CLICK!™ with your Guests.”

Winemiller said: “I am honored that the CCO Council would recognize the work of our organization with this award. Both on the court and off the court, everything the Thunder organization does is truly a team effort, and I am confident we would not be receiving this recognition without the dedication of our entire franchise, our outstanding frontline staff and our loyal fans.”

“Successful CCOs — regardless of their title — engage the entire company in their mission to become customer centric as they understand and meet customer needs,” Bingham said. “Customers reward companies they trust. The CCO is uniquely capable of helping align the company to earn this trust and reap top and bottom line results. The Thunder’s amazing journey from the new team in town to ESPN Magazine’s #1 Ultimate Franchise ranking in just four short seasons, is testament to how successfully it has won its customers’ trust.”