Economic Luncheon with Michigan International Speedway

Guest Speaker - Rick Brenner, President Michigan International Speedway

Join us to hear from the new President at MIS, Rick Brenner and hear about his experience in minor league baseball and what he will bring for the expectations for the future of MIS. We are excited to host him and others from Michigan International Speedway to hear about the races and other events happening in 2017 and beyond. 

Rick Brenner is President of Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, which annually hosts, among other events, two weekends of premier NASCAR races, bringing more than $414 million in economic activity annually to the state. Brenner made the move to NASCAR from Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in September 2016.
 
As president of MIS, he oversees all facets of the two-mile oval and its 1,400 acres. MIS has expanded beyond NASCAR to become a year-round destination with the addition of sports car and go karting events, automotive research and development programs and non-motorsports events such as the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Cross Country Championships, and Faster Horses, a three-day country music festival that is one of the fastest growing and most popular music festivals in the country.
 
The speedway is also home to the nation’s largest 9-11 blood drive, The Spirit of America, and serves as one of three host venues in the country for a Formula SAE competition, that brings in several thousand Society of Automotive Engineers members from 160 colleges worldwide for its annual competition.
 
Brenner most recently served as President of DSF Sports and Entertainment, the company that currently owns the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and previously owned the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Brenner managed all areas of the multi-unit business, as well as led the design and construction of the Bowling Green Ballpark in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
 
Prior to DSF, Brenner spent six of his 12 seasons with the Trenton Thunder as Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. Brenner led the Trenton Thunder to a pair of notable honors. In 2005, the team was awarded the John H. Johnson President’s Trophy, which recognizes one team in all of MiLB for their franchise stability, success, and community involvement. The Thunder also won the Larry MacPhail Award in 2003.
 
Brenner’s personal efforts were also recognized by the game. In 2009, he was named the Baseball Executive of the Year by Ballpark Digest. He was twice named Eastern League Executive of the Year, including 2008 with the Fisher Cats.
 
Under Brenner’s direction, the Fisher Cats developed a strong philanthropic reputation in the community. The Fisher Cats and the Fisher Cats Foundation provided nearly four-million dollars in monetary and in-kind donations for thousands of local non-profit groups, headlined by the annual Granite State Baseball Dinner, which has donated more than $1.4 million to charity since 2007.
 
The Pennington, New Jersey, native earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.