RAW Capital Partners’ Post

The first time Doug DeVos and John “Hap” Fauth set out to conquer sailing’s America’s Cup, their nine-figure project could hardly have gone worse: The boat capsized and nearly sank. Three years later, DeVos and Fauth are trying again. Both men have plenty of experience with ambitious turnarounds. DeVos is the co-chair of Amway and his family owns the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Orlando Magic. Fauth founded The Churchill Companies, a private investment firm whose holdings range from real estate to agricultural technology. And both have run world-champion sailing programs. But the Cup is different. It entails a multiyear sprint to build a racing boat on the cutting edge of engineering and agreed-upon rules in order to defeat a series of similarly innovative speed demons head-to-head. Only then does a team earn the right to a showdown with the defending champs. No American boat has won the silver ewer, known as the Auld Mug, since Larry Ellison and Oracle Team USA’s comeback victory over New Zealand in 2013. And not only are DeVos and Fauth hoping to add their names next to those of previous syndicate bosses like J. Pierpont Morgan, Harold S. Vanderbilt or Ted Turner, they also want to build a durable operation to keep the team, and country, in contention over the long haul. The big change they had in mind? Make American Magic even more like a pro sports team than before, DeVos said. Today, there is a new boat and another budget that exceeds $100 million. There is a new chief executive. There is a new U.S.-centered design team, new talent on the sailing roster and a new 63,000-square-foot home base in Pensacola, Fla. 🔗 Read more from Aaron Kuriloff: https://lnkd.in/eYawX2yB 

Last week was the 90th NISCA Conference.  It was held in downtown Indianapolis in conjunction with the Men’s Division 1 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. I often get questioned on why I take vacation time to attend events like this. Here are my answers: 🏊♂️ Participation - Why belong to a member-run organization and not fully participate? There is so much knowledge to be gained at these events as well as positions to help run it. 🏊♂️ Different perspectives – With so many parts of the country being represented, you can learn from presenters what is successful in their part of the country. 🏊♂️  Historical references – There are enough legends of the sport present that getting a historical perspective on how things occurred makes you appreciate how it is going now. 🏊♂️  Recognition for hard work – Our awards ceremony is something to be remembered. Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement, and Outstanding Service are some of the awards that people receive. 🏊♂️ Friendships - Reconnect with long-time friends and meet some new people. 🏊♂️  Time Away – it is always good for me to get away from the daily grind and recharge the batteries. Please take some time and see what associations you are a member of and see how you can help contribute to making the next conference better.

Spring is approaching (in the Southern Hemisphere). Time to sharpen your knowledge about why your boat sails as it does. In the Northern Hemisphere time to find out why your boat didn't sail as you wanted it to sail. And/or, if, after watching the 37th America's Cup races, you are interested in knowing more about foiling, you may wish to read the sections on the subject. https://lnkd.in/eAT5ER6i

I am still astonished by the importance French sport fans give to offshore sailing. Today the Transatlantic Race (one of the last two qualifiers for the magic Vendée Globe race) starts in Lorient and requires the solo skippers to navigate their boats single handed to New York. Of course public TV is covering the start live. In addition hundreds of thousands of fans took the opportunity and met the skippers live in the marina during the open dock week before the race. The race is famous for its hard conditions, as the boats will most likely face winds from the front, which means that conditions are much more demanding than the classic conditions where the wind usually comes rather from the back than from the front and which are more common for the Vendée Globe. If you want to know more on how social media impacted what it takes to successfully master a career in offshore racing, check my latest analysis here: https://lnkd.in/eP4rpwN6

Four-time Major winner and former World No.1 Ernie Els is partnering with owners Arrow Global to bring the first Els Club to Europe and the first private members golf club to the Algarve. Read: https://lnkd.in/gxbBzANK

Irish golf resorts on the market for €180m amid booming demand: An analysis of the assets on offer suggests that links courses are popular among visiting American golf tourists, while Irish memberships and female golf players are also on the increase

Corporate Traveller and World Golf Competition have joined forces to jet amateur golfers around the globe to compete on the world’s most exclusive courses. Corporate Traveller will play a critical role as The Competition’s exclusive travel manager ✈️⛳ Played across four continents, 216 courses, 313 rounds, and with more than 13,000 players, the World Golf Competition is the world’s most luxurious amateur golfing contest and a world first. In a sign that sport-related travel is in full swing, Corporate Traveller data has shown that sport-related travel bookings around and out of Australia were up 89 per cent in 2023, compared with 2022. The World Golf Competition will further bolster that growth with an anticipated 5,500 travel bookings for corporate operational staff and players as the 2025 competition gets underway. #corporatetraveller #GolfTournament #amateurgolf

This message resonated with me, especially in our professional worlds. We get so caught up in the dollars, the initiatives, the checklists, that we forget the person sitting in that chair. As leaders, we are responsible for our teams and that isn’t isolated to their business tasks or responsibilities. How are they doing as a person? If they aren’t performing, are disengaged, etc, it might be an indication that something isn’t right. Rather that assuming our people aren’t performing, take a step back to consider the person, their obligations outside of work, the workload itself, and whether or not that person is actually in the right place. Know your people and watch for them. Care, ask. As leaders we simply need to do better.

So critical at every level…