Circuit of the Americas Appoint a Host of Personnel

February 28, 2012

Circuit of The Americas has announced a host of personnel additions including Julie Koenig Loignon as vice president of Public and Community Relations, cialis Regan Holley as vice president of Marketing, Fenorris Pearson as vice president of Human Resources, Jason Asci as director of Ticketing, and six senior sales representatives.

Julie Koenig Loignon joins Circuit of The Americas after serving as vice president of Corporate Communications for Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI). In her previous role, Loignon managed strategic, financial and crisis communications, media relations and employee communications while providing communications counsel, training and support for the company’s businesses. Loignon was also a founding member of the company’s brand development and marketing team, formed to develop innovations and revenue opportunities around Churchill Downs’ marquee racing events. As vice president of Brand Development and Marketing, Loignon oversaw multiple innovative marketing campaigns and initiatives, such as the Kentucky Derby® Red Carpet program and celebrity hospitality, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks® event websites and the Derby Nation social media network.

Loignon will serve as principal spokesperson for the Circuit and oversee day-to-day communications, public relations and media services, while working with sanctioning bodies to promote media coverage of all Circuit events. Loignon will also develop and manage the Circuit’s community partnerships and charitable contributions.

“Julie brings a unique combination of high-level public and media relations experience to our team, plus a proven background in marquee-event development and marketing,” said Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas. “She understands the expectations that surround a premium experience like a Formula One race; from accommodating thousands of on-site journalists to working through traditional and new media channels to promote community awareness and engagement.”

Regan Holley has become the vice president of Marketing. Holley comes to Circuit of The Americas from TracyLocke Advertising, where he most recently served as Chief Creative Officer in the Dallas office. In that role, Holley oversaw the creative output and direction for more than 80 members of the company’s creative department. He has a diverse background with a full-range of marketing experience including brand development, promotions, digital, TV, print and package design, and in-store marketing. Notable clients for which Holley has provided effective marketing and branding include Nokia, T-Mobile, Clorox, Caesars Entertainment and 7-Eleven.

Holley’s responsibilities will include developing and managing the Circuit of The Americas brand, overseeing consumer marketing initiatives including advertising, promotions and database marketing, and building experiential and interactive marketing events for the venue and the events promoted at the Circuit.

Fenorris Pearson was named vice president of Human Resources. Pearson joins Circuit of The Americas as vice president of Human Resources. Previously, Pearson worked as vice president of Human Resources and Consumer Brand Innovation for Dell, Inc. where he managed more than 100 employees and developed organizational design and leadership development within sales operations for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Asia. Pearson also worked as vice president of Human Resources for Motorola, Inc. where he developed a performance management process for over 100,000 employees.

Pearson will be responsible for developing all aspects of the Human Resources department for Circuit of The Americas. This includes developing and overseeing organizational design, training and leadership development, employee relations, compensation and recruiting.

“Fenorris has experience managing HR in some of the top companies in the world,” said Bruce Knox, executive vice president for Circuit of The Americas. “He impressed us with his ability to effectively and efficiently build global recruiting programs, and we look forward to adding him to the team.”

Jason Asci, now the Ticketing Director joins the Circuit of The Americas team from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he recently served as the director of Ticketing for SMU Athletics. In that role, he managed all ticketing aspects of the Division I Athletics program, including the ticket office and systems for more than 80 events annually. His new responsibilities include the establishment of ticketing and related systems, distribution, and maximization of ticketing related revenue.

Prior to SMU, Asci worked as director of Ticket Services and Merchandise for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. This also included managing ticketing for third-party events at Pizza Hut Park, such as international soccer matches and outdoor stadium concerts.

“Regan and Jason are valuable additions to our management team,” said Geoff Moore, chief marketing and revenue officer for Circuit of The Americas. “Both have a wealth of experience in their areas of expertise and we are fortunate to attract such talented personnel. They will contribute significantly to the success of our facility and the events we promote.”

Also six new senior sales representatives join the Circuit, coming from various backgrounds. Jason Brewer, most recently part of the Dallas Cowboys sales team; Eric Buskirk, from the Louisiana Tech Sports department; Chas Sheffield, who was part of the Oklahoma City Thunder sales team; Brandi Marek, from CW Television Network in Ad Sales; Tom Greene, previously with development sales at Southern Methodist University; and Anthony Rizzo, formerly with the New Orleans Saints suite sales team.

by Ismail Uddin