Ben Sutton, Jr.
Benjamin C. Sutton, Jr. (born February 12, 1958, Burlington, NC) is the president of IMG College, a college sponsorship and media company. Sutton also is a member of the Board of Directors of IMG Worldwide, Inc.
IMG College employs more than 750 people in more than 100 locations throughout the U.S. and has an estimated annual sales of more than $650 million. Sutton founded International Sports Properties, Inc. (later ISP Sports) in 1992, which was acquired by IMG in 2010.
Education/Personal
Sutton graduated from Wake Forest University in 1980, earning a BA in history. In 1983, he graduated from Wake Forest School of Law. During his undergraduate and law school years, he worked in the athletics department, becoming marketing director immediately following his law school graduation. The Sutton family lives in Winston-Salem, NC.
Career
Prior to his current role as president of IMG College, Sutton spent 18 years as chairman and CEO for ISP Sports, a company he founded the company in 1992. Wake Forest University was the first partner for ISP Sports, which grew to more than 60 NCAA colleges and conferences nationwide before being acquired by IMG. Previously, Sutton spent nine years as an athletic administrator at Wake Forest.
IMG College
IMG College manages multi-media rights for nearly 100 colleges and collegiate athletic conferences, including corporate sponsorships, experiential opportunities, use of intellectual property, radio and television programming, publishing, official athletic websites, stadia and arena video and signage sales, and numerous lifestyle and event marketing platforms. The company manages the largest radio network in the country, distributing more than 30,000 hours of programming to more than 2,200 radio stations nationwide. In addition, IMG College produces and distributes nearly 5,000 hours of television programming to more than 200 outlets and is the largest manager of official athletic websites in the U.S.
IMG College is headquartered in a 125,000 square foot mixed-use (office, retail, residential) building co-developed by Sutton in downtown Winston Salem. The complex houses the IMG College corporate headquarters as well as a state-of-the-art radio production/network syndication center with a street-view TV studio, retail spaces and residential areas on the upper floors.
Awards
Sutton has received numerous awards including the Wake Forest University Distinguished Alumni award, Troy University’s Sports Management/Industry Achievement award, and has been named one of the top or most powerful college sports executives in America by the Sports Business Journal.
Service/Philanthropy
In addition to serving on the board of directors of IMG Worldwide, Inc., Sutton serves on the board of trustees of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, is a Trustee of Wake Forest University and of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; a member of the board of directors for the Falk School of Sports Management at Syracuse University; the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame; the Winston-Salem Alliance; and is past chairman of the board of trustees at Forsyth Country Day School.
The Sutton family has established a significant philanthropic foundation and is involved in many national and local causes. The Sutton family made the second-largest alumnus gift in the history of Wake Forest University to develop the Sutton Health and Wellness Center on the university’s campus, where they have also endowed a permanent scholarship. In addition, Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem announced in 2013 that the Sutton Family Foundation would provide the primary underwriting for the construction of a new Youth Fellowship Center on the KBC campus. Previously, the family had developed Sutton Softball Field at Forsyth Country Day School.