Schwartz: Son Of Former Knicks GM Could Probably Teach Dolan A Thing Or Two
By Peter Schwartz
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Growing up, Nate Checketts had a big advantage over his friends, at least those that were big sports fans.
Checketts has been around sports his whole life. His father, Dave Checketts, was named general manager of the Utah Jazz at the age of 28, becoming the youngest chief executive in NBA history. From there, he became the president of the Knicks and then president and CEO of Madison Square Garden.
Not a bad life for a kid to grow up in.
"It was amazing," Nate Checketts told WFAN.com recently. "In a lot of ways it was everything that you can imagine being able to go to games, talk about sports, and to have in-depth knowledge of the players. In other ways, it was terrible because if the Knicks or Rangers had a bad night or got knocked out of the playoffs, everybody at school was going to give me a hard time, including some of my teachers."
There might have been an occasion or two (or maybe more) when those close to Nate gave him a hard time, but that didn't deter him from learning from his dad and starting his own company. Checketts is the co-founder of Rhone Apparel, a groundbreaking men's activewear company that continues to grow.
"We're really excited that it gives us a platform to inspire men to be better and to build great products," said Checketts. "When we first started out, we had a lot of obstacles and by gaining momentum it gives you the ability to continue to improve and get better every single day."
Checketts and his co-founders developed the idea out of need for high-end men's' activewear. He used to work for the NFL and was the recipient of plenty of free apparel from league partners.
But there was a problem.
"I would wear the gear 10 times and it would just smell so bad," said Checketts. "I thought to myself that there has to be a better option in terms of being able to fight bacteria and odor."
So Checketts and his partners went to work and did some research. What they found out was that the military used silver in their clothing as a way of fighting bacteria and odor.
"We talked about how there was really nothing on the market like this for guys at a premium," said Checketts. "The industry standard for anti-odor protection is 15 washes. We felt that there should be something better."
And they have since produced a great product.
It should not come as a surprise that Checketts has been so successful in business so quickly. After all, he had a pretty good teacher in his dad.
Under the leadership of Dave Checketts, the Knicks went to the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999. He would spend 10 years at MSG, including seven as president and CEO of "The World's Most Famous Arena."
In 2006, Dave Checketts founded SCP Worldwide, a company that owned and operated the NHL's St. Louis Blues and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Then in 2012, he was named chairman and CEO of Legends Hospitality.
Nate certainly learned a lot from his father. He started his own business at the age of 15 when he ran a summer camp for kids. There was a time when had to get counsel from his dad about some problems that he was having with camp counselors.
The advice he received from his father was invaluable.
"He was always very successful and a great businessman," said Checketts. "He would let me listen in to calls and I would always ask a lot of questions. I still talk to him daily and I ask him questions about how to handle certain challenging situations."
Checketts' dad resigned from Madison Square Garden in 2001 and the Knicks haven't come close to matching the success that they enjoyed under his leadership since. The Knicks have made the playoffs just three times in the last 11 years and this past season finished with a 17-65 record, the worst in franchise history.
"I'm obviously biased because my dad did a tremendous job while he was there," Nate Checketts said. "You can't help but look at this and say hey there's something wrong with this and it always starts at the top."
Without saying it directly, Nate Checketts was referring to Madison Square Garden Executive Chairman James Dolan, who has been pushing the reset button on the Knicks ever since Dave Checketts' departure. From Isiah Thomas to Larry Brown to Phil Jackson, just about everything has failed other than three playoff appearances from 2011 to 2013.
"New Yorkers deserve better and we deserve to have a team that can actually compete," said Checketts. "It's embarrassing. I think we all know what the problem is. At some point, somebody has to do something about it."
While the Knicks can't seem to get out of their own way, Nate Checketts has been able to follow in his father's footsteps of being a successful businessman.
Rhone has been growing steadily despite being in business for just 18 months. It is in 20 Bloomingdales locations as well as 17 Equinox stores. In addition, it is being picked up by a couple of Nordstrom stores.
"It's been terrific," Nate said. "Our direct sales on our website are as strong as it's ever been."
Maybe Dolan should give the younger Checketts a call for some advice, as success has been in the family DNA for many years. Nate learned so much from his dad as a kid and continues to use him as a resource today.
For more information on Rhone Apparel, go to their website at www.rhoneapparel.com.
Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow @natechecketts and @rhoneapparel