Dee and Jimmy Haslam are committed to restoring championship Cleveland Browns football. To best position the team for success, the Haslams have consistently invested in the organization and its facilities to provide the best resources available while working diligently and responsibly in partnership with the City of Cleveland and the City of Berea.
The Haslams have established three primary focus areas to shape the team’s culture in Northeast Ohio, guiding all key processes and decisions within the organization. The club’s standard is centered on providing a consistently winning team on the football field, taking exceptional care of the team’s fans by providing a premier experience throughout the ye and striving to make a positive impact in the Northeast Ohio community with an emphasis on education, youth football and equitable opportunity.
In addition to the Browns, Dee and Jimmy also serve as the CEO and Chairman of the Haslam Sports Group (HSG). After the family acquired the Columbus Crew in 2019, they formed the Haslam Sports Group (HSG). In 2023, the family secured a controlling interest in the Milwaukee Bucks, as the NBA Board of Governors approved an HSG ownership share purchase, giving the family-run business, ownership stakes in three of the five major North American professional sports leagues. The Bucks investment also includes control and operation of Fiserv Forum; the Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center; the team’s training center; the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks G League affiliate; and Bucks Gaming, the team’s 2K League affiliate.
HSG’s mission is to engage and unite communities through premier sports and entertainment experiences. It strives to create world-class organizations that achieve sustainable success but also redefine the fan experience and give back to their region while serving as stewards of true community assets. HSG’s current portfolio includes the Cleveland Browns, operating rights to the Columbus Crew, a controlling interest in the Milwaukee Bucks, and current in-vestments in Misfits Gaming Group, StatusPro, Jackpot.com, Lyte, Cast Iron Media, Wicket, ChargeFUZE, WNBA, ManCan and Courtside VC.
Creating a Transformational Stadium and Mixed-Use Development for Northeast Ohio
For the 2029 season, with unprecedented private investment, the Browns plan to open a new era for their fans that will bring a world-class stadium experience to Northeast Ohio with the opening of a new enclosed Huntington Bank Field. The $3+ billion economic development project, Northeast Ohio’s largest to date, will include Ohio’s first dome stadium and an adjacent mixed-use development just 12 miles from downtown Cleveland in Brook Park, Ohio. The public-private partnership will leverage $2+ billion in private investment to generate the fiscal impact necessary for the project to pay for itself while also bringing unparalleled economic opportunity to the region. The new stadium will be a first-of-its-kind and will set out to redefine the fan experience, all with the intent to draw the world’s biggest concerts and most significant sporting events year-round to Northeast Ohio.
Expanding the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
In June of 2025, the Browns broke ground on their CrossCountry Mortgage Campus Expansion. An extension of the existing footprint of the Cleveland Browns in Berea, this new neighborhood will be over 16 acres and utilized for a variety of spaces benefiting the region with an anticipated opening in early 2027.
The CrossCountry Mortgage Campus Expansion will include a mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to the existing Cleveland Browns facility, and will include a community field lined for multiple sports for youth, high school and adult participation, The Barker Hotel – a Tribute Portfolio Hotel by Marriott developed in partnership with Craw-ford Hoying and operated by Shaner Hotel Group, a sports medicine facility operated by the team health-system partner, University Hospitals (UH), market-rate apartments, office space and 15k square footage of retail space to support the new pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.
Making a Difference
The Haslam family is committed to helping children and families reach their full potential by removing barriers and providing equal access to quality education and community resources. They are committed to creating measurable, sustainable and meaningful positive change in these areas. Since 2014, the family’s philanthropic efforts across Northeast Ohio have amounted to over $150 million in private investment for causes that positively impact education, health & human services, equitable opportunity, and youth football.
The Haslams are deeply immersed in supporting programs for youth that improve chances for academic success and motivate children to go to school. They have also focused on renovating football and soccer fields throughout Northeast Ohio, Columbus, and Knoxville. These community assets are used for sports and recreational programs that keep children and families active, engaged and inspired.
The Haslams have refurbished many Cleveland public schools’ athletic fields and have installed 16 high-quality synthetic turf fields across Northeast Ohio. The efforts have also been focused in Knoxville, providing funding to transform 13 fields at area high schools. As part of the Crew’s yearround efforts to grow participation in the game of soccer and impact youth education, the Club’s minipitch initiative now encompasses six locations.
“We are committed to creating opportunities for our youth so that they can reach their full potential, and getting to school every day and staying engaged sets the foundation for their success and the future of our state,” said Dee Haslam. “Through the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network and our installation of youth soccer and football fields in Ohio and Tennessee, we want to help students and districts access the resources they need to excel in the classroom and beyond.”
Launched in 2019 to increase attendance in the state, the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network– a partnership be-tween the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Columbus Crew, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Harvard University’s Proving Ground – collaborated with districts and schools to provide resources created by industry experts to address chronic absenteeism. In May 2024, Battelle, an Ohio-based science and technology company, became a partner and the network host for The Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, which now serves over 200 partner school districts and nearly 550,000 students in Ohio.
Aligned with that focus, the Haslam 3 Foundation donated $4.5 million to education-based programs that give school-aged children more access to three arts organizations in Cleveland: Playhouse Square, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Orchestra.
The Haslam 3 Foundation also recently made a $2 million leadership gift to the United Way of Greater Cleveland and another $2 million donation to the Pelotonia for cancer research, with $1.5 million directed explicitly towards Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) research. In 2023, the Haslams established the new University Hospitals Haslam Sports Innovation Center because the health and well-being of the athletes and the communities in which they live and work are of the utmost importance to them. The Haslams recognized a unique opportunity to invest in sports medicine, developing new technologies and innovations that enhance performance, contribute to the future of sport and promote healthier athletes.
Dee and Jimmy also launched the Haslam Sports Group Diversity and Opportunity Fellowship in 2021. Designed to improve the pipeline of diverse future sports industry leaders, the year-long sports business fellowship at the Columbus Crew and the Cleveland Browns provides a unique, immersive opportunity to recent college graduates.
Dee and Jimmy have led the Browns’ efforts to create equitable opportunity throughout Northeast Ohio The Browns have hosted three social justice summits: two that brought together the Cleveland Police Department with Cleveland Metropolitan School District high school students to create a forum for open and honest dialogue about social injustice and another that brought community and civic leaders to the Browns facility to engage players and the entire organization. Since 2022, the Browns, through their equitable opportunity efforts, have supported minority and black-owned businesses through a partnership with Jumpstart, a Northeast Ohio-based, nationally recognized venture development organization providing capital, services and connections to help entrepreneurs grow and corporations innovate.
Dee and Jimmy have received several honors for promoting diversity and inclusion. Jimmy was honored by the Cleveland branch of the NAACP at its 105th Anniversary Celebration Freedom Fund Dinner, and the Haslams received their first award as members of the NFL in 2014 when they were recognized by the Fritz Pollard Alliance with the Paul’ Tank” Younger Award for promoting diversity within NFL front offices. Dee and Jimmy Haslam were also presented with the Maltz Heritage Award, recognizing their transformational leadership, civic en-gagement, and philanthropic contributions in Northeast Ohio.
The Haslams also worked strategically and passionately to bring the 2021 NFL Draft to Cleveland, knowing the impact it could have on the community to host such a signature event.
The Haslams also have always been committed to the Knoxville community and are dedicated to positively impact-ing the region. In 2020, the Haslam family donated $35 million to Knoxville’s Lakeshore Park to improve baseball fields, soccer fields and other amenities outlined in the park’s master plan. Dee and Jimmy helped co-found the Haslam Scholars Program in 2008. The program offers unique, in-depth academic enrichment for top students at the University of Tennessee. In December 2019, the Haslams helped open the doors to the Haslam-Sansom Ministry Complex in the Lonsdale community of Knoxville, Tenn. The $8 million privately funded project by the Haslam and Sansom families consists of 30,000 square feet. It includes two fields, which can be used for soccer or football, a gymnasium with two full-sized basketball courts, a chapel, a community room and a medical clinic. It was built for the Emerald Youth Foundation, and the complex will serve more than 1,400 young people within Emerald and help hundreds of families in the underserved Lonsdale neighborhood.
Columbus Crew
In January 2019, the Haslams expanded their sports interests and investments when they reached an agreement with Major League Soccer to operate the Columbus Crew. After only two seasons as investoroperators, the club captured MLS Cup 2020, their second championship in league history. In 2023, the Crew brought the second championship to the Haslam family when they captured another MLS Cup, their third overall, with a 2-1 victory over LAFC. The Crew opened their newly constructed downtown Columbus stadium, Lower.com Field, in July of 2021. Designed to complement the city of Columbus’ modern, dynamic, and diverse characteristics, Lower.com Field anchors a mixed-use development neighborhood called Astor Park. The club also completed construction of a world-class training facility named the Ohio Health Performance Center in June 2021. Dee serves on the MLS’s Board of Governors and Jimmy serves on the MLS Governance Committee.
Away from Professional Sports
Jimmy is also Executive Chairman of Gate City Energy (GCE). GCE is a group of energy investors with a long-term track record of investing in and managing physical infrastructure assets across the energy ecosystem. The mission of GCE is to identify investment opportunities that support a transition to cleaner forms of energy.
Jimmy was chairman of the board for Pilot Company from 2020-2023 and CEO from 1996-2020. A native of Knoxville, Jimmy began his career at Pilot Corporation in 1976. In 1980, he was named vice president of sales, development, and operations. He grew Pilot to be the largest travel center company in the US, from 96 travel centers in 1996 to over 800 fueling locations in 2023, selling ~14 billion gallons of fuel a year and ~$3 billion in food and merchandise. Jimmy Haslam became CEO in 1996 and, later, chairman of the board for Pilot Company from 2020 to 2023. Jimmy led the Company through a series of transformational milestones that strengthened its capabilities, and Pilot became the fifth largest private Company in the US with $3.2bn EBITDA in 2022 (17% CAGR). These milestones included the merger of Pilot with Flying J and transactions with Marathon Ashland Petroleum, Williams, Speedway, Mr. Fuel and Speedway-Wilco, which grew the Company’s network and estab-lished Pilot Flying J as an industry leader. In January 2024, Pilot Corporation was sold to Berkshire Hathaway.
Dee, an Emmy-nominated TV producer, was the executive producer and CEO of RIVR Media Companies. Since launching RIVR Media in 1999, Dee has been the executive producer for groundbreaking series such as “Trading Spaces,” “Whale Wars,” “World Series of Poker,” “Renovation Realities,” “Fat Guys in the Woods” and “Escaping Polygamy.” RIVR was named a Realscreen’s Global 100 TV production company. In June 2012, Dee started Nest Features, an independent film company producing films in and about the American South. Before RIVR’s launch, she worked in various production roles with Bagwell Communications and Cinetel Productions. Dee transitioned from her role as CEO at RIVR Media in early 2018 to devote more of her time to Cleveland but remains a partner and executive producer. Dee’s professional association memberships include the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, In Counsel with Women, Women in Cable Telecommunications, International Women’s Forum, C200, and the Society of International Business Fellows.
Leadership and Community Involvement
Jimmy’s civic involvement includes service on the board of directors of Anderson Media Corporation, Direct Journeyline Holdings LLC, the American Federation for Children (AFC), and the PREP Public Schools Board. Having served on many community boards, Jimmy now focuses on School Choice and quality education choices, as well as his passion for the Haslam College of Business and Haslam Scholars at the University of Tennessee. To help further advance the NFL, Jimmy is a member of the league’s Ownership Policy, Business Ventures, Media, Compensation and 32 Equity committees and he chairs the Benefits Investment Committee.
Dee is also committed to the betterment of the Columbus, Northeast Ohio, and Knoxville communities through her active involvement as a member of the board of directors of the Greater Columbus Partnership; Greater Cleveland Partnership; the United Way of Greater Cleveland (Executive Council); University Hospitals Systems; the Cleve-land Orchestra; and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She also serves on the boards of the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business, the Emerald Youth Foundation, State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) in Tennessee, and is the acting chair of Lakeshore Park. Dee also serves on the NFL social justice working group and legislative and conduct committees.
In May 2017, Governor Jeb Bush appointed Dee to ExcelinEd’s Board of Directors. This foundation has become a national leader in the education reform movement. Dee was also awarded an honorary doctorate after delivering the commencement speech at Baldwin Wallace University.
The Haslams have three adult children and six grandchildren.
