ROB URBACH
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ROB URBACH

BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP
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MEDIA LINKS:

"Walking the Walk," Triathlete.com
"10 Most Influential People in Triathlon," RunnersWeb.com
"Executives After Hours with Dr. James Kelley," C-Suite Radio
​Rob Urbach's Professional Columns
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The Iditarod XLVIII: Behind the Curtain

Visionary, Transformative Executive Leadership

As a respected entrepreneurial leader with foresight, imagination, and a talent for driving unprecedented results, Rob Urbach has an impressive history of surpassing ambitious business goals and creating revolutionary growth strategies for global enterprises. He has a consistent record of positioning organizations for success, spurring multimillion-dollar profits, increasing efficiency, and demonstrating a profound dedication to corporate growth. With a knack for building and motivating top-performing teams, Rob is always ready to hit the ground running and deliver results quickly.

Some of his achievements include:
  • Doubled sponsorships and grew revenues 55% in a declining market and produced record earnings growth for 3 years.

  • Surpassed financial projections by nearly 30%, generating $66 million in dividends by negotiating global divestitures.

  • Completed $50+ million in acquisitions of player management companies, corporate branding firms, and marketing agencies.

​To learn more about Rob Urbach, be sure to review his biography page.

ROB URBACH'S BLOG POSTS

Rob Urbach in the News

​Rob Urbach ’85 and The Last Great Race on Earth Adventure, Athlete Finds A New Finish Line

Iditarod. The name conjures images like no other sporting event: blinding white terrain, icicles knotting ruddy-faced mushers’ eyebrows, silver-eyed dogs lunging frantically into a vast unknown.

​Basically, crazy people charging headlong into challenging horizons. The perfect place for a Centre grad, right?
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​New Iditarod CEO talks increased purses, TV deals and other ways to grow the race

This year, the Iditarod will start under new leadership for the first time in decades. CEO Rob Urbach was hired in June, replacing Stan Hooley, who held the position for about 25 years.

Before being hired by the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Urbach led USA Triathlon as CEO from 2011 to 2017. His personal athletic background is in triathlons, but he said he’s been amazed at the stamina and willpower of the mushers and sled dogs who run the 1,000-mile race.
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​Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach looks to the future of the Last Great Race

Indeed, a lot has changed for Rob Urbach from the time he was hired to be the Iditarod CEO in June to replace the longtime chief, Stan Hooley. Hooley held the post for 25 years before announcing his retirement. ​
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At the Iditarod, ‘they do a very good job of social distancing’

The coronavirus has stopped virtually all North American sports events in their tracks. But in Alaska, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is mushing on.​
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Iditarod CEO talks hope for summit with PETA

The 2020 Iditarod will mark a new era for The Last Great Race on Earth and it started with a sit-down with PETA — a meeting the new Iditarod CEO wants to lead to a recognition of shared goals. New Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach met with officials from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Los Angeles Thursday while he was in town for a premiere screening of the film, “The Great Alaskan Race.”
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Iditarod joins new international race circuit in an effort to increase exposure, showcase dog care

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is joining a new international race circuit that will link it with sled dog races in Minnesota, Norway and Russia starting in 2020. It’s called the QRILL Pet Arctic World Series, and the Iditarod is its grand finale, said Iditarod chief executive Rob Urbach.

​“It’s a great opportunity to create exposure for the sport globally,” Urbach said in an interview Tuesday. “We’re creating a season of events, so this is Iditarod 365, 24/7.”
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Iditarod changes tack, will meet with animal welfare leader

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The new head of Alaska’s Iditarod plans to meet with a leader of an animal welfare group that’s devoted to ending the world’s most famous sled dog race, which it sees as a cruel, deadly event for its canine participants. Organizers of the 1,000-mile wilderness trek have for decades ignored or taken a defensive stance against People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach, who took the helm of the organization in July. The old response hasn’t worked, Urbach said. He has started talking to PETA about dog care and will meet Thursday with the group’s executive vice president Tracy Reiman in Los Angeles.​
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Iditarod names new CEO as first mushers register for 2020 race

As the first mushers threw their names into the ring for the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the race’s governing body announced new leadership. The Iditarod Trail Committee on Saturday publicized the appointment of Rob Urbach as its new CEO starting July 29. Urbach steps in to fill the void left by Stan Hooley, who resigned in January and had been with the race for 25 years. In January, the ITC hired the Foraker group to aid in the search for a new leader.
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​Iditarod welcomes passionate new CEO

Urbach has years of experience in the business of endurance athletic competitions, but none yet with Iditarod. Urbach looks to meet as many dogs, mushers, sponsors and volunteers in preparation for the 2020 Iditarod. While Urbach’s resume is littered with success stories with human athletes, he is becoming more and more familiar with the word ‘cheechako’ and is insistent on learning as much as he can as the CEO of The Last Great Race.
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Iditarod Trail Committee announces Rob Urbach as new CEO

The Iditarod Trail Committee announced Saturday that Rob Urbach will lead the 2020 Iditarod as CEO. Urbach is from Colorado and served as CEO of the USA Triathlon from 2010 – 2017 and was also the executive vice president for Octagon, a global sports marketing firm. As CEO of the Iditarod, Urbach will oversee all day to day operations of the Last Great Race on Earth as well as head the fundraising campaigns and information technology.
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© Rob Urbach 2019
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