BOK Center exec leaving Tulsa for Long Island arena position
BY BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Monday, March 05, 2012
3/05/12 at 4:38 PM
The BOK Center’s No. 2 executive is leaving this month to run an arena in Long Island, New York.
Jerry Goldman, who has served as the BOK Center’s assistant general manager since it opened in August 2008, has been hired to be the general manager of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
In that role, Goldman will be responsible for the overall operations and booking of the facility, which is home to the New York Islanders NHL Team.
Both facilities are overseen by the SMG venue management firm.
Goldman, whose replacement in Tulsa has not been determined, called the move an “incredible opportunity.”
“The BOK Center will always have a special place in my heart, and I will miss all my colleagues in Tulsa,” he said.
BOK Center General Manager John Bolton said Goldman has played a key role in the success of Tulsa’s arena. His experience in booking has positioned the venue as one the top facilities worldwide in ticket sales.
“His move from Tulsa as AGM to GM in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country speaks volumes of his talent and his record of success,” Bolton said. “All of us at the BOK Center will miss him.”
Hank Abate, SMG’s senior vice president of arenas, said Goldman’s work at the BOK Center made him the right fit for the new role.
“We are thrilled he agreed to grow within the company and look forward to his leadership making an impact on Long Island,” Abate said.
The Nassau Coliseum opened in 1972 and has been managed by SMG since 1979. It is one of the oldest and largest accounts in SMG’s roster of hundreds of venues worldwide.
