Page 44 - BusinessWest February 17, 2025

“Those first few years, I went through the wringer with him ... there were lots of times when I said, ‘this
is crazy, I’m going to quit, I’m going to quit, I’m going to quit. But the lightbulb went off one day that what he was doing was preparing those who wanted to be prepared to be really g”ood managers.
John Doleva, left, with former UMass coach John Calipari at his induction ceremony, has led the Hall through times of both growth and extreme challenge.
going to quit,’” he recalled. “But the lightbulb went off one day that what he was doing was preparing those who wanted to be prepared to be really good managers.
“You were always ready with your numbers, for instance, and you had two or three options for every question you anticipated him asking,” he went on. “And I think that really helped me with my business thinking.”
Doleva said those years at Spalding under Dickerman certainly helped steel him for what was to come at the Hall, which
he joined in 1999 as vice president of Marketing, with the encouragement of Dickerman, one of the many leaders forced out when Spalding was acquired by KKR in 1996. (Doleva took
a package from Spalding and worked briefly for a technology company in the Berkshires before coming to the Hall.)
Just a few years later, when then-president Don Gibson left, Doleva was placed in the role of chief operating officer, and a year later, he was named president and CEO and thrust into what could only be called a crisis.
Indeed, the new Hall of Fame on the city’s riverfront was opening after a failed capital campaign and amid $14 million in debt that suffocated the institution.
Colangelo remembers Doleva calling him at the height of this crisis in 2002, asking for advice, and soliciting his help. Colangelo responded by pledging financial support and telling other NBA owners — “I didn’t ask them, I told them” — to support the cause as well.
The money raised by the NBA provided vital breathing room, but the crisis was far from over, and huge amounts of debt remained. The firefight, as Doleva described it earlier, would continue for years.
Describing how he and his team were able to steer the Hall out of serious debt, onto stable financial footing, and raise more than $30 million during a recent capital campaign to
>>
Doleva
Continued from page DM24
g r a
C o n
t
i
o
n
s
t
u
l
a
Cheers to John Doleva and the other honorees in the Difference Makers Class of 2025.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate your success!
From all of us at Max’s Tavern, Max Catering & Events, and Max’s Swing Lounge
maxhospitality.com
DM26 FEBRUARY 17, 2025
DifferenceMA ERS
BusinessWest