Caitlin Clark is arguably the biggest name in women’s basketball—if not all of women’s sports—after electrifying crowds during her final year at the University of Iowa. Clark was drafted No. 1 overall by the WNBA’s Fever, the team’s second top pick in as many years, and has been in the team’s starting lineup since the start of the season. Clark, alongside other young stars, has helped propel the WNBA to new levels of popularity, spiking both league and Fever attendance this season. The Fever, which drew about 81,000 fans during the entire 2023 season, eclipsed that figure in just its first five home games. Likewise, many of the Fever’s road games have been at or near full capacity as fans flock to watch her play. Clark has signed several lucrative sponsorships, including an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike, a basketball partnership with Wilson and another with Zionsville-based Group 1001, the parent company of Gainbridge Insurance. While Clark won’t be on USA Basketball Women’s National Team for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she is a favorite for consideration on the WNBA All-Star Team this summer.
Archives: Profiles
W. Quinn Buckner
As vice president of communications for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Quinn Buckner is the organization’s liaison to the corporate community, leads the Pacers Youth Basketball Program, and is the analyst for Indiana Pacers television games. He served on the board for the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. Before joining the Pacers, he was an analyst with the Cleveland Cavaliers, coached the Dallas Mavericks and played 10 seasons in the NBA. He was captain of Indiana University’s 1976 NCAA Championship team and the 1976 gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team. He chairs the Indiana University board.
J. Douglas Boles
J. Douglas Boles is president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he is responsible for management of the day-to-day business operations—including the preparation for and implementation of the Indianapolis 500—and more than 200 full-time employees (10,000 on race day). Boles describes his job as a blend of promoter, ticket sales, facility management and improvement, sponsorship and partner development, and event planning and implementation. Some kind of on-track activity happens at the speedway nearly 150 days a year. Previously, Boles spent seven years working with Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith. He also was co-founder, co-owner and chief operating officer of Panther Racing IndyCar Team, which won two IndyCar titles (2001, 2002) and 15 races, as well as the INDYNXT Championship (2003) while he was there.
First job: Unpacking and prepping new and used cars at Dugan Chevrolet.
Something surprising: “I am trying to learn Spanish (it is slow-going).”
Alan Bacon
Alan Bacon is the cofounder and president of the creative agency GangGang, the Butter fine art fair and the I Made Rock ‘N Roll festival. All are designed to create more equitable opportunities for artists and creatives. Bacon began his career at Harrison College, eventually serving as president of their northwest campus, then worked for a Johannesburg-based technology company, where he was exposed to global poverty. He later became the United Way of Central Indiana’s senior director of social innovation, leading a major fund to find creative solutions to challenge poverty in central Indiana.
First job: Toys R Us, at age 14, for $4.15 an hour. “At the place ‘where a kid can be a kid,’ I learned how to be an adult and received my first lesson on taxes.”
Dream job: writer on “Saturday Night Live”
Surprising: “I can play a myriad of instruments, including piano, drums, guitar, bass and trumpet.”
Michael Andretti
Michael Andretti is a former IndyCar driver who now leads Andretti Autosport, which fields multiple entries in the NTT IndyCar Series, Indy Lights Series and the IMSA Sportscar Championship LMP3 division, as well as programs in other series. Andretti teams have five Indianapolis 500 wins. As a driver, the eldest son of Mario Andretti raced in 16 Indy 500s, leading in nine of them, and won 42 races in the CART series. He also started the Michael Andretti Foundation. In 2022, Andretti Global, the parent company of Andretti Autosport, announced it would build its motorsports headquarters in Fishers. Construction was halted because of legal issues but resumed in May. The motorsports giant plans to move to the 90-acre campus next year. In January, Formula One rejected Andretti Global’s application to join the global racing series in 2025 or 2026. However, the racing series could revisit the issue in 2028 when General Motors has an engine ready for competition.
Jim Hallett
Jim Hallett manages facilities and customer relationships for Hallett Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Bloomington (Illinois) Bison ECHL hockey team, Fishers Freight IFL indoor football team, Indy Fuel ECHL Hockey Team, the Indy Fuel Apartments, the Fuel Factory sportswear and merchandise company, The Fuel Tank ice arena in Fishers and the Junior Fuel youth hockey program. Hallett spent more than 40 years in the automotive industry, including serving as CEO and chair of OpenLane (previously KAR Global), which he grew from a few physical auctions into one of the world’s largest digital marketplaces for used vehicles. OpenLane has customers in over 50 countries. Hallett also founded Mabel’s Ride, an organization that provides free transportation to health care appointments for oncology patients.
Lesson learned: “I bankrupted a business early in my career and it taught me a lot about resilience, rebuilding and what it takes to succeed. It also taught me not to go into business with family and friends.”
Leonard Hoops
Leonard Hoops leads a team of 58 people who are charged with growing central Indiana’s nearly $6 billion convention, tourism and event business. Under his leadership, Visit Indy has shattered all-time records for convention and tourism sales, delivering up to $1 billion annually in incremental economic impact and a 90-to-1 return on investment from public funding. Hoops also led the nearly 10-year effort to expand the Indiana Convention Center for a sixth time. In his 13 years with Visit Indy, Indianapolis has been named “the No. 1 Convention City in America” by USA Today, and a top visitor destination by The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Time. The organization has been named “Best Place to Work” in Indiana nine times.
Pets: Olive, a 2-1/2-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel
Something surprising: “I’m your typical ninth-generation American born in Trinidad to an English-Scottish-Irish father and East Indian mother who occasionally does stand-up comedy.”
Craig Huse
In addition to being co-owner of the most celebrated restaurant in Indianapolis, St. Elmo Steak House, Craig Huse oversees central Indiana locations of Harry & Izzy’s, 1933 Lounge and HC Tavern + Kitchen. In January, the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s board approved a proposal for a dual-branded HC Tavern and 1933 Lounge restaurant to open inside the airport’s Concourse B. Huse, an alum of Bloomington South High School and Penn State University, is the son of Steve Huse, the co-founder of Noble Roman’s Pizza who purchased St. Elmo in 1986. Craig Huse became a co-owner of St. Elmo in 1997. The Huse Culinary portfolio now includes retail entities St. Elmo Foods (which allows customers to serve the company’s incendiary shrimp cocktail sauce at home) and St. Elmo Steak House Cocktails. In 2022, online restaurant reservation service OpenTable listed St. Elmo Steak House, founded in 1902, among the “Top 100 Most Beloved Restaurants in America.”
Polina Osherov
Polina Osherov co-founded Pattern, a not-for-profit devoted to growing Indiana’s creative economy, in 2010, and became editor-in-chief of its magazine in 2012. Under her leadership, the organization has hosted over 170 events, mentored over 200 interns and creative fellows, and published 25 magazine issues. Osherov, a first-generation immigrant born in Soviet Russia, has also led more than 90 campaigns and projects in collaboration with local companies and brands. In its first 14 years, Pattern has grown from a staff of two to a team of 12 and evolved into an economic development entity. In 2023, Pattern hosted the first Indiana Creative Economy Summit, highlighting the importance of the creative economy in the state. This year’s summit is set for Oct. 25.
Surprising: “I’ve never eaten a pork tenderloin sandwich. I speak Russian pretty fluently, still. I hate shopping.”
Walk-up music: “Unstoppable” by Si
Mark Miles
Mark Miles is president and CEO of Penske Entertainment, where his role is to oversee the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar and IMS Productions; increase viewership and attendance of the NTT IndyCar Series; and preside over the Indianapolis 500. Miles oversaw negotiations tied to media rights for the IndyCar series, which will move to Fox in 2025, after 16 seasons at NBC—with a guarantee all 17 races will be shown on the network’s flagship broadcast station. From 2013 to 2020, Miles was president and CEO of Hulman & Co., the previous parent organization. Before entering the world of motorsports, Miles was president and CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. In 2008, he led the successful effort to earn Indianapolis the right to host Super Bowl XLVI. In conjunction with the 2012 Super Bowl, Miles spearheaded a civic effort, the Legacy Project, on the near-east side. He also has been CEO of the Association of Tennis Professionals and, in 1984, was chosen to organize and produce the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis.