CCB: [00:00:01] Welcome to the ONEder Podcast. This is your host CCB, and today we're going to have a really delightful conversation on the ONEder Podcast. I say that and I am going to deliver on it; I can tell you 100%. I want to remind us all that the ONEder podcast is available on all podcast streaming services, and please follow, please like it if you do. And if you don't, send me a note and tell me why. We are going to talk today with the COO of the Seattle Storm, and we're going to tie this all together. Like, what does that have to do with the built environment? You are going to hear. First I'm going to say, Welcome to Rohre Titcomb.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:00:46] Thank you. Great to be here and excited for the conversation.

CCB: [00:00:51] I know I am too. So what we'd love for you to do. Our listeners love to hear what's the journey that our guests took to get to the place where they are today? Give us a little background.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:01:01] So. Yeah. Well, I'm Rohre. I'm the COO here. And my journey is a little winding, but has a, you know, all, all leads me just to where I need to be. Um, which is here, as the COO of the Seattle Storm, I began my professional career as an entrepreneur. So my sport was ultimate Frisbee. And I'm a seven time world champion in ultimate and spent a lot of my early days preparing and training and competing in that sport, and then began my professional career as an entrepreneur in Ultimate Frisbee alongside my siblings. So, built an ultimate Frisbee apparel company called Five Ultimate, and that was sort of my first stint of being a being a leader. And as I then I transitioned out of that role, moved into startups and did work in venture capital and got to look at a lot of different business models, explore and understand kind of how technology informs business.

And then finally, now I'm here as the COO of the Storm. And you know, my big three things that I care about: I believe that there's power in women. I think there's a lot of untapped potential in the women around the world. And if we can, anything we can do, or if I can take my skills in service of unlocking the power of women, that makes me pleased and proud. I care about sports as a former athlete. That's my big, big kind of unlock for myself is my athletic journey. Really helped me understand my strengths, build my confidence, and taught me a lot about being a leader. And then I believe that there is a really, really great role for businesses to play in our society, and that's where my strengths are. So as I sit in the seat I'm in today, I just feel like those three things come perfectly together. I sit and I'm in Seattle, I'm a Seattle born, native, and I would not want to be anywhere else with three passions like that women, business and sports. To me, the dream is to be here with the Storm.

CCB: [00:03:09] It certainly sounds that way. We are delighted to have worked with The Storm on your new center for Sports Excellence. I would love for you to help us understand how does the Qu core responsibilities for driving operational excellence? What does that look like? How does that fit into working within that particular structure? The building itself. But then how does that move out into community? Because it feels like community is another big, huge element of the Storm.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:03:47] Absolutely. Oh, community is at the core of everything we do. You know, as the COO, my responsibilities are very varied. But of the key things I focus on, one of them is business operations. So, that happens physically here at the Center for Basketball Performance and of course, out in the community, facility operations. So really keeping this building, this incredible asset, healthy and happy and beautiful and fresh and functioning, you know, every minute that we need it to. I also work on broadcast operations and run all of our home game operations and the really fun stuff, and then I also have the joy of getting to work on our merch line of business. And as a former apparel entrepreneur, it kind of is just a little bit of a dream of mine to get to do our merch as well. So you asked a little bit about how how does operational excellence connect with our physical space in this building that we have? And, you know, I joined the Storm just shy of two years ago. And where we, you know, we had been working out of and our basketball team had been playing and practicing and training out of a disparate set of locations all across Seattle. And we didn't have a central place where we could all be together and collaborate and do our jobs effectively. And it's really, really surprising when I look back and think, oh my gosh, how how did this business work without a central place for us to call home? And we made it work. Obviously, the franchise has been incredibly successful, winning four championships in its time and leading the way in the WNBA in so many ways. And um, and we had operational excellence.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:05:44] Then of course, what has changed. We moved into this into this center about 11 months ago. And what's changed since then is it's given us a home where we can all be together, and our basketball operations. Our basketball team. Our training team. Our front office team. Even our owners. We've created this building and this space for all of us to come in, interact, learn from each other, collaborate, and we make each other better. And we know what we know how to inspire each other because we see what everyone else is doing. And you know, our the the business of sports and the world of sports is very, very focused on in-person connection, right? When I look around the arena at a home game, it's all about like that moment. Like I can just if you close your eyes and think about like a huge game winning, um, shot that goes in or a huge, you know, defensive block. Like you can just at least the athlete in me, like, I get goosebumps thinking about that. And those in-person moments, that in-person connection is so important. And we get glimmers of that when we're here at the center. Because I walk in early and I see our players working out, I see them putting the work in. And as I walk in, that inspires me to want to bring my best. And, you know, they have a closer connection to what we are doing. And so we're finding a lot of new and innovative ways to to just make sure that we're all working together and collaborating in a deeper way to bring us all forward and continue to just raise the bar for, um, for what a great team can be in the WNBA.

CCB: [00:07:36] You just talked about so many things that I'm sure all of our listeners would love to hear more about. So I'm going to pull tease out a couple of things. Um, one, the whole nature of the the being together and the demonstrating leadership and excellence on a regular basis and creating a Storm community goes outside of the center, of course. I mean, and you are, you know, loved and appreciated by Seattle and, you know, by women's basketball and on and on and on. So there are layers of how that ripples out through community. I'd love for you to talk a little bit about that broader community.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:08:19] Absolutely. Yeah. We started this conversation by highlighting how community is at the center of everything we do. And I shared that snapshot of a full arena at our games. And we think of our community, and our city as just at the center of what we do. Right? We and there's, I think the highest praise that I've heard for us as I have entered into this space and worked in our community and with our partners. I had somebody say to me that there is no sports team that is more authentically connected to their city than the Seattle Storm. This came from a media member and I thought, wow, that's that's a powerful, powerful thing. And I think that, you know, I credit our owners to having the vision to build deep relationships with our community. And then I also credit our community for believing in us. And, you know, sports. You win some, you lose some. There's always, you know, a winner and a loser. You enter every match, every game knowing that, you might come out on top. Of course, that's where you always strive to be, but ultimately someone will lose.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:09:37] And what I saw, I have seen in this very seasonal business, you know, championships come and go and, you know, we have been very, very lucky and have put a lot of work in to earn four of them and one commissioner cup championship. But there are rough patches along the way. And when you know, one of the sayings that I think about often is, if you want to know your true character, pay attention when things aren't going your way. And how I see our communities show up for the Storm in moments where we are not winning or where we are experiencing challenge, I think is a really, really significant testament to that authenticity and authentic connection in terms of what that actually looks like, you know, what are the tangible ways that we connect with the community? There are a lot of phenomenal programs that we do, and there's a lot of player involvement in those programs as well. So what we really, really focus on is bringing how do we leverage what we are best at and bring basketball, bring connection, bring inspiration, bring motivation into the spheres around us. And so we have great partners that work with us to support youth all around the city.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:10:51] And we run programming year round. And, you know, we work in collaboration with a lot of different organizations to really show how sport and health are important for a thriving community. And, you know, that runs from physical health, mental health, financial health, career health, all of these things that we we really, really focus on, of course, with a priority on elevating BIPOC communities and women and communities that represent and are representative of our players and our player community. The last thing I want to say on this is that we have started running programming here at the center, so with the ability to have our own space, um, you know, it used to be we need to do both, right? We need to be in our space and we need to be out in the community. But what's really, really special is being able to bring youth into this space. And when you watch these little ones walk in our front door, our trophies are lined up in the lobby. They look, they're they see the trophies, they go downstairs, they step onto the courts where the superstars train and you just can't contain or capture their excitement and the marvel of what they experienced.

CCB: [00:12:09] That just gave me goosebumps.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:12:12] Yes. Oh my gosh, it's magic. It's phenomenal. And so we started doing that on a weekly basis. And we're going to do it more and more. Um, having youth come in here and adults of all genders to be a part of. Um, yeah. Feeling that championship culture and getting to push themselves, getting to, you know, be better and have fun, play some basketball.

CCB: [00:12:33] Okay. So I am going to remind our listeners that there's a web page with information about this podcast, and there will be links to Rohre's background and to the Seattle Storm and to the the actual center images, which are spectacular. And when I say that, I'm going to remember to give enormous kudos to the team that put it together. That was an all women team, which was amazing. All women led through design, architecture, construction and the furniture, which was our component from One Workplace. But oh, and the the owner's rep and the real estate broker. I mean, everybody who put the deal together.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:13:16] All of it.

CCB: [00:13:16] Yes. All women who did a magnificent job. And when you see the center, you get a better idea of the stories that Rohre is telling, because the court is open to the administration and the office areas through much transparency and glass, so that you're sitting in a conference room looking down on the court. And it's just it's an amazing, amazing space, which obviously, you know, not only supports the operations and the team, but supports that, that sense of community, because it's a gift to the community in this beautiful, beautiful structure and then offers the opportunity to bring people in. So you've got this amazing team and you've got this amazing city and this great relationship and this beautiful center. And you mentioned merch and I just wonder, like, what's that going to look like? How much, how much better can it get? Or what are you envisioning?

Rohre Titcomb: [00:14:13] Gosh, when I you know, I was on a call recently and somebody asked me, where are the opportunities in women's sports right now? And there are a lot of opportunities in women's sports. If we look at the growth across every aspect, it's phenomenal. And there's a huge, huge opportunity in merch. And when I think about what I'm excited for us to to do and how we want to capture that opportunity, there's a couple of key things. One of them is and this, you know, having the connection at this space in the center helps with this, right? I want to bring more connection between our players and the merch that's out there. If you listeners out there have paid attention to the WNBA, you probably know that there is a very, very fun connection between fashion and our players. And our players love to bring new designers, push the aesthetics that are out there and really showcase how, for me, when I when I look at them in our player walk ins or see how they express themselves through fashion, it brings, I think, a new lens, a new definition to what beautiful is and to what powerful is, and that those things can be the same. Um, so I want to bring more of our players into, uh, into our merch line and have their influence and support. That's one. And then in the same way that I think about, you know, our players are really at the center of what we do. Our community is at the center of what we do as well. And so we're going to be launching an artist series this year.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:15:50] So working with local artists who actually will have a connection to the art that is here at the center. Some of them will. And we have done you know, we didn't even get to get into this. But throughout the design process for this building, there was player involvement. And we had an art committee that came in and conducted interviews with players and got their insight, got their input into what did they want the space to feel like, how did they want, um, how do they want to to feel when they walked in that door? And what were the important elements, visual and physical, to set them up, to show up, perform, bring their best every single day that they walk in the door. And, and as part of that art committee process, we developed relationships with some really, really phenomenal local artists, and we're going to be partnering with them to bring some of that work and some of the kind of, yeah, some of those concepts to life through merch so that everybody out there can participate in that feeling of being prepared and powerful and ready to perform. So those are just two things. Um, there's a lot, a lot of opportunity to diversify our product offerings. And so you'll see that more too. And we're going to be experimenting, um, to really tap into more of that opportunity because we know that, you know, every athlete knows this, got to explore, got to push beyond your boundaries. If you're going to bring something new to market and find success.

CCB: [00:17:24] I am struck by what a fantastic microcosm we're talking about in this. The whole nature of the connections, the networks and the needs. And and there's the human element which is in every project, every team, every, you know, and this is accelerated and highlighted in a way that people coming to work in many locations don't have that spotlight on them. And I wonder how how does leadership throughout the organization. I've read so much about it, you know, and what a kind of intense commitment there is. But how does that trickle down through the whole organization? I mean, you're talking about how much players are involved in so many things. Um, there are lots of other people in the organization. How does that look?

Rohre Titcomb: [00:18:23] Absolutely. There's a there's a team. There's a team behind the team. There's a team behind the team behind the team. And, um, you know, I'm a a team person. And so, you know, there are a lot, a lot of phenomenal people and a really, really great, um, yeah, set of teamwork processes and systems and ways that we collaborate. Um, and there's just, you know, I think of it as, it's almost like we have four different businesses built into one, and, well, maybe it's five. And so we we do require a lot of collaboration to be successful. And the reason I talk about the, the players and the basketball team so much is because they are at the center of of it all. And, um, we draw, I think, well, I'm a sports person, right? As an athlete, you know, I can bring in a lot of great sports analogies. Um, and I think it lends itself really well to, you know, how we need to work. And that's part of why I think we we come back to them. Because, you know, as I look around at how we collaborate, you know, we take ownership and, you know, we execute on our own things and we we show up prepared. Um, and then sometimes, you know, we also just have to pass and we know that it's somebody else's time to shine. And there's a lot that a lot of structure that we have in place around how that all operates across different departments. Um, but I think ultimately, at the end of the day, every single person at the storm kind of has a connection to sport and to our basketball team. And I that is why I talk about those players so much. And, you know, of course, the Seattle Storm wouldn't exist without the players. Yeah.

CCB: [00:20:22] I know from our relationship with the Storm, there is there is commitment throughout. And there's also a relationship value that you don't always see in business practices that there is, there's respect for relationship, which is lovely, absolutely lovely as a partner on any way, shape or form to be involved with. I had another question that I want to ask, and it was about sustainability. And I know you personally have been committed to sustainable practices in clothing, etc. what does that look like? You know, in a large organization like the Storm?

Rohre Titcomb: [00:21:03] Um, the Storm is a signatory of the Climate Pledge, and we play our games at Climate Pledge Arena. So we have a really close collaboration with their sustainability team in terms of the environmental impact that our games have. And so if you've come to a Storm game or if you will be coming, as I hope you will be to a Storm game soon, um, there are a lot of elements that go into our game day that focus on sustainability. So, um, you know, the arena has really, really great recycling practices and composting practices and great policies around, um, reusable everything from concessions to the merch we bring in, um, to all of the kind of unsexy back end stuff. Um, and then for us at the center, it was the, you know, sustainability wasn't a really important part of how we built this building. And, um, the the building itself has a LEED gold certification. And so we are very proud of that. And there's fun stuff. Um, like we have an award winning concrete mix in, uh, for the building envelope. So we have a tilt up construction method, tilt up panel construction method. And the concrete that was used to build our panels is has the lowest carbon footprint of any concrete mix in the world.

CCB: [00:22:27] Did not know that.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:22:28] Yeah.

CCB: [00:22:29] Okay.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:22:29] I know it's kind of a funny thing that I need to remember to tell everybody. I'm like, hey, this. I know it looks like just some poured concrete walls, but it's award winning. Um, and, you know, it doesn't look much different from other poured concrete walls. It's got imperfections and, um, little smudges and and all that good stuff. But, uh, you know, it was important for our ownership and and for us as stewards of the land that we're on and the space that we're in, and being a part of this community to have a really sustainable approach to some of the fundamental elements of the building. We also have solar panels, so we're able to leverage that for a lot of our energy consumption and, um, lots and lots of kind of day to day sustainability focus as well as sustainability focus on kind of those bigger elements. Um, and it was a big investment to, you know, go with this concrete mix that nobody really knows about or that the story isn't told very often, but from a carbon footprint standpoint has a really significant impact.

CCB: [00:23:35] The architect that designed the building was Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, who are major Pacific Northwest design firm of great renown and have always been committed to sustainable practices and drive. And again, I think I keep thinking about the partnerships and how so true. They're not. They're not inconsequential and they're not unintentional. Yeah. You look for people that, you know, had similar values, similar goals.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:24:04] Yeah. And life is too short to spend it working with people who aren't going to be bringing the same energy and passion that we do. And I think that that was really important for our ownership, for our owners rep in the building, in the construction and design. You mentioned this like the teams were women led, and that was really important. Um, from a process standpoint. But it was also really important from an outcome standpoint. And the process piece means that the relationships we built and the people that we worked with and empowered, you know, they are a part of our story, each and every single one of them, from the woman who poured concrete on those concrete panels to, you know, the women at one workplace who helped us install and or select and install all of this terrific furniture that we have, and every single step of the way there were phenomenal women, and they're a part of this journey and part of the building itself. And and then in terms of the outcome, it was important that we had people on this project who understood what it could mean to have a space for you yourself and could understand how meaningful it would be to have something that was built just for you, our players, our staff, many, many women in the world look around and live and exist and work in spaces that were not designed for them. And we wanted to create a space that was designed just for us, and having women who understood, or people who understood the importance of something that is purpose built for you, knowing that much of what is out there is not made a huge, huge impact on the outcome of this building and how special it is.

CCB: [00:25:48] That just makes me think it's it will last For a long time and how, you know, from a storytelling perspective, you look for team members that are the best at their craft. Um, when you're looking for new people to come in to the organization, it's interesting to think about how how is that filter to, you know, to share the ongoing commitment to excellence. Is that a is that a box that has to be checked? One would think probably, yes, but absolutely.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:26:23] And I think this starts with our owners actually. They're very involved and they are very visionary. And I think this building is a great example. When we announced that the Storm was going to be building a dedicated practice facility, we were the first to declare, you know, we will be the first ground up, purpose built practice facility. Um, we opened shortly after the aces opened their practice facility. So this is 11 months ago. We were the only two franchises that had dedicated spaces for our players. A quick 11 months later, it's table stakes. Everybody has to have one.

CCB: [00:27:00] You'd be a draw. Exactly.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:27:02] And I didn't think it would happen this fast. You know, and I've heard our owners, you know, they talk about, you know, one of the great things about leading from the front is you get to be first. And that feels really great. And then the challenge is, you know, you you carry that marker as far as you can and you establish a new standard. And because you're first, you expect and you know, that other people are going to follow behind and they're going to beat you. And that's just how it goes. And then you pick up your marker again and you say, okay, how much farther can we push it. And that kind of competitive but collaborative approach is exactly what you know, it it inspires me. I want to be the first and then I want to be beat and I want to get better. And, um, the owners really, really bring that focus on striving for the best. Knowing that, um, you will be surpassed at some point and you need to keep going. And so when I think about, you know, the filter of excellence and the filter of longevity and the type of people that we want to bring in to this organization and the, um, yeah, the values that we have there is a lot of them imbued in that. And of course, we want the best people. We want, um, people who believe in this as its own thing and are excited to build it in a way that no one else has built anything before. And that innovation and entrepreneurial spirit requires a very unique, competitive, driven.

CCB: [00:28:35] Hunter.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:28:37] Um, collaborative person and people. So, you know, when I think about how we bring that excellence every day, it really it does. It starts with our owners and then it goes, like I said before, it ties back to the players, right, of seeing their work ethic inspires that. And when I look around me, that's what I see, and that's what I think everyone in our organization sees. And it's there's no short of inspiration as I look around.

CCB: [00:29:01] It's intoxicating. It's like, come on, we're doing it. It is amazing.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:29:05] Yes.

CCB: [00:29:06] I want to say we talked earlier saying, oh, you know, how are we going to fit things in? Or how much can we fit into a 30 minute conversation and we're at just a little bit beyond 30 minutes. And I want to say, oh my gosh, thank you so very much, Rohre, for joining us and sharing the story of the Seattle Storm and the amazing accomplishments that have taken place and will continue to take place, and we wish you all the best. Seriously, I can't wait to come to a game. I will get my ticket up to Seattle soon.

Rohre Titcomb: [00:29:39] Let's do it! Okay. Thank you so much for having me. And to all the listeners out there, I'll see you at a Storm game soon.

CCB: [00:29:45] Excellent. Bye bye.