TOM GARFINKEL
PRESIDENT, CEO & VICE CHAIRMAN, MIAMI DOLPHINS/HARD ROCK STADIUM, MIAMI
Garfinkel, a California native with an MBA from the University of Michigan, has held roles in sales, marketing and branding with Miller Brewing and Texaco. He has served as president and CEO of the San Diego Padres, COO of the Arizona Diamondbacks and executive vice president of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR, IndyCar and Grand-Am racing teams. Since joining the Dolphins in 2013, he has led a $500-million renovation of the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium that spurred revenue growth and sellouts even as the Dolphins struggled on the field. He brought professional soccer games to the venue, including the El Clasico Miami soccer event between Real Madrid and Barcelona that was the single highest-grossing soccer event in U.S. history. Garfinkel is now leading the development of a $135-million training center in Miami Gardens, which is now under construction and expected to open before the team’s 2021 training camp.
Credited with growth of the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, which has raised more than $25 million for the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, he also is involved with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund in Parkland and the Gulliver Schools in Miami.