November Community Connect with Kevin Ferguson

Introducing our November Community Connect, client and friend, Kevin Ferguson. Kevin is the Senior Manager of Premium Accounts for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans!

 

Born in Huntsville Alabama, his family spent a few years in New Jersey before making their way back to Louisiana where he started kindergarten in Belle Chasse. Kevin’s father was in the United States Navy and when the time came for him to retire, the family moved to Algiers Point. Kevin attended Benjamin Franklin High School and is a proud graduate of the class of ’99! Ready to step out of his comfort zone, Kevin adventured to Florida for college and graduated from Florida State University.

 

“My career really is tied to my decision to return home,” says Kevin. “New Orleans is my home and post Katrina, I felt the overwhelming desire to move back. I loved this place even though my family had moved away. Not only did this feel like the best place to start my career, it seemed like the right thing to do. This city had given me so much, the least I could do was to come back here and be a good citizen.”

 

 

About 6 months after returning to New Orleans, Kevin received the opportunity to pursue the career in sports that he had been seeking. In 2008, he started working for the New Orleans Zephyrs (currently known as New Orleans Baby Cakes) in group sales. “It was an absolute blast! The hours were long, and I worked 3 part-time jobs to help make ends meet, but the best part of it was that I finally knew this was what I wanted to do.” In 2010, Kevin’s boss helped him get an interview with the New Orleans Hornets on their new business development team. The opportunity helped him transition to the highest level of sports and it opened his eyes to all the paths of growth in the industry.

 

After 10 years in the organization and in his current role, Kevin currently leads all sales efforts for premium seating for the Pelicans and Saints, particularly suites and floor seats. His main responsibility includes managing full-season floor accounts, in addition to selling and managing suites for both teams. “My favorite part of my job is getting to know and help my clients. At their core, everyone who has seats or a suite is a fan, and everyone that works for the teams are fans, so we all go through the successes and the failures together. That’s what is unique about this business; on game days, the arena and dome are like our own little community. The fans, our staff and the building staff are like a family, we see each other every week for half of the year. I always joke that the off-season feels like summer break and the first game is like the first day of school when you get to see all your friends again!”

 

When Kevin isn’t focused on the teams, he enjoys the city with his family. “Seeing how far we’ve come since moving back is incredible! We still have a lot of work to do, but there is no place I’d rather be. It’s where I grew up, where I fell in love with my wife, Cate, and where we got married. It’s where our kids, Noah and Jacob, were born and where I want to raise them. There are so many experiences that they’ll only get to have here. Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras are just some of our favorite things to do with the boys. I’ve been riding in the Mardi Gras Krewe ‘Thoth’ for 8 years and Cate will be riding in ‘Iris’ this year for the first time!”

 

Even though his parents no longer live in New Orleans, Kevin has been fortunate to have a great network of friends. Kevin was referred to Witry Collective co-owner Adrienne LaBauve by friends who had gone through the homebuying process with her about a year before Kevin and his family did. “Adrienne was incredible, especially for us as first-time homebuyers who weren’t really sure what we wanted when we started this process. We have what I think of as a lifelong relationship and would never think of buying a home through anyone else.”

 

Kevin has had an exciting journey back in New Orleans, but the fun doesn’t seem to have stopped there! Kevin mentioned he has the privilege of being the Young Leadership Council President for the upcoming year. “YLC has been an important part of my life for the last 10 years. I came home with a desire to make a difference in New Orleans and YLC has provided a platform for me to do just that.” For over 30 years, the Young Leadership Council has focused on developing leadership through community service. YLC has produced leaders at the highest level in both the public and private sectors. “It has also made New Orleans a better place to live,” says Kevin. “From putting the lights on the bridge to letting the world know that we are Proud to Call It Home.”

 

Kevin invites everyone to join him in learning more about how you can grow and make a difference in New Orleans as a part of the YLC by visiting https://ylcnola.org.