Tom Ricketts, Chairman, Chicago Cubs

Episode 013-Tom Ricketts, Chairman, Chicago Cubs

On this episode of The Executives’ Exchange, Chairman of the Chicago Cubs Tom Ricketts sits down to discuss his many careers and how his entrepreneurial spirit led not just to the winning bid for The Cubs, but the founding and running of major companies in the finance and trade sectors. Tom shares the lessons he learned from his father when it comes to mixing business with family and how that drives decision making today, juggling multiple business ventures simultaneously, the evolution of The Cubs and Wrigley Field and more!

01:27 – Early childhood, strong family, and growing up with a ‘true entrepreneur’
3:54 – Navigating politics within a diverse political family and the family business rule
7:31 – Tom discusses undergraduate at the University of Chicago and summers on the trading floors
11:04 – Business career—from trading bonds to founding his first company, Incapital LLC
15:15 – Tom discusses the recent merger of Insperex and balancing multiple businesses
20:03 – The dream job of owning a major league baseball team & the process of ownership
25:30 – Best and worst parts of owning the team with family?
27:20 – Red Wedding 2021 Summer trades: what led to the trade decision?
31:05 – Saving and transforming Wrigley into a year-around community hub
35:54 – Wrigley used a food pantry and vaccination site during pandemic
37:45 – Rapid fire questions

Episode Link: The Cubs Ballpark

Host: Margaret Mueller, CEO & President, The Executives’ Club of Chicago
Producer: Eva Penar, Chief Content & Communications Officer, The Executives’ Club of Chicago

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thank you to our podcast sponsor, Shure Incorporated.
For nearly 100 years, Shure Incorporated has developed best-in-class audio products that provide high-quality performance, reliability and value. Headquartered in Niles, Illinois, our history of innovation and expertise in acoustics, wireless technology, and more enables us to deliver seamless, transparent audio experiences to a global audience. Our diverse product line includes world-class wired and wireless microphones, networked audio systems and signal processors, conferencing and discussion systems, software, a loudspeaker, and award-winning earphones and headphones.

Find Shure on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram