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United
States Equestrian Federation Names John Long As CEO
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Lexington,
KY and Gladstone, NJ - October 2, 2003 - The United States Equestrian
Federation, the proposed National Governing Body for equestrian
sport, has named John R. Long of Shelbyville, KY, as its first
Chief Executive Officer.
"I
am extremely excited about joining the USEF. I look forward to
working with David O'Connor and the Board in re-shaping equestrian
sport in our country and to continue on the path to be one of
the strongest on the international scene. I am equally excited
about the potential for the growth of our sport domestically and
look forward to working with the staffs of USET and USAE to build
our new organization. Our collective vision should be to raise
the awareness of all equestrian disciplines in terms of consumer
and participant interest and to use this new awareness to develop
media and sponsor opportunities. There is no doubt in my mind
we can make that happen. I can’t wait to get started,”
said Long.
Long
has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer of Churchill Downs, Incorporated since 1999. There he
oversaw management, operations and planning for all of the company’s
racetracks and simulcast facilities, was responsible for marketing,
legislative affairs, community relations, training and development
and racing services. In addition, he was responsible for the integration
of new acquisitions into the company. Long managed nearly 700
full-time and 2,500 part-time employees, was a member of the company’s
Executive Committee and was involved in both formulating and implementing
the company’s growth strategy.
“We
are pleased to welcome John Long to the Federation, and we are
looking forward to his taking on the challenges that lie ahead.
His knowledge of the horse industry and position as Chief Operating
Officer for Churchill Downs, America’s leading horse racing
company, will provide a good footing for him to stand on,”
said David J. O’Connor, president of the newly formed United
States Equestrian Federation.
Prior
to his stint with Churchill Downs, Long served as the President
and Chief Operating Officer of Ladbroke/USA, in Richmond CA. Ladbroke/USA
was one of the largest pari-mutuel operators in the country with
racing venues in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Minneapolis and San Francisco.
During his tenure the company reported six consecutive years of
record profits. Long held this position from 1989 to 1999.
“The
Federation’s day-to-day operations will benefit from his
management experience as we continue to plan the sport’s
growth strategy and expand the presence of equestrian sport in
the U.S.,” added O’Connor.
U.S.
Equestrian was formed through the combination of USA Equestrian
and the United States Equestrian Team. The vision of U.S. Equestrian
is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States
of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grass
roots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe
competition and the welfare of its horses, and embracing this
vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.
www.equestrian.org
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