Merritt Paulson Owner & Current President Of The Portland Timbers

Interview Information

Interviewed 11/4/11 @ Jeld-Wen Field 3:15 PM PST

Merritt Paulson, Owner and President of the Portland Timbers was interviewed by Oliver Maroney at the date and time listed above.

Background InformationSon of Henry Paulson, former chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs and 74th United States Secretary of Treasury.

Majority owner of Peregrine Sports, LLC.

Purchased Portland Timbers/Portland Beavers in 2007

Former Senior Director Of Marketing & Business Development For National Basketball Association

Why I chose Merritt Paulson

Merritt is someone I have always looked up to.

Also because of my passion for soccer.

Early Life (Before College)

Merritt was grown up in a wealthy family.

His father was a major executive of Goldman Sachs.

Before sports came along, Merritt loved the outdoors.

HENRY PAULSON

College LifeGraduated Hamilton College in 1995

Earned Master’s at Harvard in 2000

“College made him understand what he had a true passion for and what he wanted out of life”

His First Job

A senior marketing director at the National Basketball Association.

His ownership

Began owning the Timbers/Beavers in 2007.

$15 Million Dollar Purchase

What does he do?

He is the president and owner of the Portland Timbers.

Marketing

Oversee’s Players/Coaches

Sponsors/Deals

Merritt’s effect on the Community

Helps a lot in the community

Creates Jobs

Donates Large sums of money around Oregon for various causes

Wildlife Conservation

Field Projects

Local Schools

His FatherMerritt Paulson’s father was a massive influence on him. He said “He was always there for me and was a great source of advice in business and with my current job.”

TIME magazine’s runner-up for “Person Of The Year”

Henry Paulson’s Net Worth is $700

million.

He admits his father was his inspiration and role model.

His Advice

“The most important thing that you can do in life is to enjoy what you are doing. In order to do that, you must find something you are truly passionate about and you must be ready to change your path with your passion.”

You need to make connections throughout life.

M.L.S. Soccer for Portland

Merritt instigated the Portland Timbers as an MLS (Major League Soccer) Team in 2009.

Created marketing buzz

Had 1st jersey “Runway Project”

adidas sponsorship

What I Have Learned

I learned that education is a crucial part in creating connections between people.

Your Parents are a huge part of your life

It is not as easy as everyone says it is

My Ratings

I believe I am pretty good with interviewing others. I asked the questions I felt were necessary and because of how many interviews I’ve been in I feel I understand how to ask questions well.

I could’ve probably thought out some more questions and maybe a better time for the interview would’ve given me more time with Merritt. He only had about 35 minutes of his time because he had a conference call.