WTMJ’s Sandy Maxx sits down with Summerfest President and CEO Don Smiley to discuss his fascinating life. Hear about Don’s early TV career, his time working with the MLB, how he helped to revolutionize home video, and, of course, his work with Summerfest. All of this and more on today’s WTMJ Conversations! Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
SANDY MAXX: You have a World Series ring.
DON SMILEY: I do.
SANDY MAXX: You’re not wearing it now. I wish I’d asked you to bring it in.
DON SMILEY: I do.
SANDY MAXX: Tell us about your World Series ring.
DON SMILEY: Well, that’s a little bit of a long story, but to shorten it up, when I first moved to South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, I went to work with a fellow by the name of Wayne Huizenga. I was vice president of sales and marketing. The president that he hired never made it to opening day, which was April 5, 1993, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which we happened to win that game. Carl Barter, who he had hired, unfortunately dropped over dead at the winter meetings in 1992 and never made it to the opening day. So, after we made it through our inaugural season in 1993, Wayne came to me on President’s Day of 1994 and said would you like to be president of the ball club and chairman of the stadium. And I said I would really like to do that. I said, Wayne, I don’t have that type of experience, and if I could have you to lean into to help me when I’m going to need direction, because I knew I would need direction. I was the youngest president in major league baseball at the time.
