40 Under 40!

On Monday night we celebrated Steve's selection for Milwaukee Business Journal's 40 under 40.  It was a wonderful evening.  Darrell and Judy drove down, we showed the babysitter around (Norah's first) and headed down to the Pfister.  There was a short cocktail hour followed by a delicious dinner and awards ceremony.  Here is the paragraph that was read about Steve while he walked up to get his award.  The picture above is the one they used for the article.

If you’re a college basketball fan and have watched a “March Madness” game while at your computer during a workday, you can thank Steve Dupee for being able to hide it from your boss. Dupee, vice president of sports marketing for GMR Marketing, New Berlin, led the group that developed the “boss button” — an application that brings up a spreadsheet on your screen to make it look like you’re working.

The work was done for Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest cable television operator, which GMR and Dupee secured as a client in 2008. For Comcast, Dupee and his team developed the sports strategy and integration plan for all of Comcast sports entities. He also led efforts on the company’s “Most Live Sports” advertising campaign, including television, print, online and direct mail efforts.

“It was a lot of fun because of the variety of products and channels we were able to use to get their message out,” he said.

Dupee, who joined GMR in 2003 after spending two years with a sports marketing agency in San Diego, also works with The Hershey Co., a major sponsor of the NCAA and NASCAR, along with local clients, such as the Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers.

He worked with the Packers to set up the Tundra Tailgate Zone in 2008, an interactive area outside Lambeau Field that’s been successful in generating additional revenue for the Packers, while also allowing fans without tickets to come to Lambeau and experience a game-day atmosphere, Dupee said.

Greg Busch, GMR’s senior vice president, said Dupee is a key part of the firm’s growth and success.

“In his leadership position, Steve has brought national client business to Milwaukee, created jobs in Milwaukee, recruited national talent to Milwaukee and been an active leader in organizing and promoting the Milwaukee sports marketing industry,” Busch said. “Steve is the epitome of the young business leaders who are aggressively promoting and advancing the Milwaukee business scene.”

Dupee also has set up the Milwaukee Sports Marketing Network to organize and promote the fledgling Milwaukee sports marketing industry. The group allows sports executives to network and share best practices.

Away from work, Dupee spends time with his wife, Sarah, a teacher, and their three children. Not surprisingly, he loves playing and watching most sports.

“I have a great job because of the people and companies I get to work with,” he said. “It really is a team effort.”

Steve had a GREAT group there to support him.  Kevin, Dan, Matt, Ryan, Joe, Greg, and Jason can be seen above.  Joining us at the table but not seen here were Dave and Craig.  They were all very proud of Steve.  It was absolutely refreshing to see that they appreciate all of his hard work.

Steve - I am so proud of what a hard worker you are and what an awesome example you are setting for our children. I love you and how committed you are to making the most out of life.