Michael Dietz
President and Founder of Dietz Sports & Entertainment . He founded Dietz Sports in 2003 and directs the day to day business operations of the firm, including Account Services, Business Development, Sponsorship Evaluations, Sponsorship Sales, Event Activation, College Athletics, Athlete and Coach Representations.
Dietz received his law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School. He graduated from Western Michigan University (Business Administration, Cum Laude) where he was also captain of the WMU Basketball Team.
Prior to starting Dietz Sports, Dietz worked for Ilitch Holdings’ Senior Management Team for 18 years. He worked with all Ilitch brands; Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Little Caesars, Olympia Entertainment, Fox Theater, Second City, Comerica Park, Family Shows, Rockers Soccer, Concerts and Joe Louis Arena in various marketing, advertising, corporate sales and ticket sales positions. Michael has helped execute many successful marketing projects with many corporate and media clients. The key to the success of all these projects is the ability to forge strong relationships with his colleagues, clients, vendors and media partners. Dietz currently serves as a Board Member on the Detroit Sports Organizing Corp as well as the Donor Team for the 2024 Detroit NFL Draft. He was the former President of Oakland Hills Country Club (2021) and currently serves as the Co-Chairman of Future Golf Championships.
Rick Chryst
Joined Dietz Sports & Entertainment in 2011, as Senior Vice President/of Counsel, and is based in Cleveland, Ohio as part of Dietz Sports expanded offices. His primary area of concentration is in NCAA Division I Intercollegiate Athletics, focusing on a broad range of areas that include: Media Rights Analysis/Negotiation, Corporate Marketing Programs, Major Events (NCAA bowl games, post-season tournaments), Departmental strategic planning, particularly in relation to ongoing Conference realignments. He also heads up our Athletic Director and College Coach search projects.
Rick received his law degree from Duke Law School. He graduated from Notre Dame University, where he was captain of the Notre Dame Baseball Team.
Chryst came to Dietz Sports following two years in sports law, working with a Cleveland law firm. Chryst has over 20 years’ experience in NCAA Division I conference work, having been an Assistant Commissioner in both the Southwest Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, before serving for a decade as the Commissioner of the Mid- American Conference. While at the MAC, Chryst also was appointed both Chair of the Division I-A conferences commissioners, as well as President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association.
Howard Krugel
Joined Dietz Sports & Entertainment in 2004 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. He has been providing Marketing, Promotions, Activation and Event Execution services to sports and entertainment related clients for over 25 years. Helping create standard operating procedures for each event has been the key to all his successful projects. His primary focus is helping clients evaluate sponsorship agreements and helps them to integrate sports marketing programs into their overall advertising budget.
Howard received his degree from the University of Michigan.
Krugel has worked at Midnight Oil Creative, Little Caesars (Director of Marketing), Detroit Tigers (Marketing Manager), Detroit Red Wings and PASS Sports (Marketing Coordinator).
Nolan Emlaw
Nolan recently joined Dietz Sports as the Vice President of Brand Partnerships, focusing on building long-term client relationships, developing innovative brand integrations, and delivering measurable growth for both partners and organizations.
An experienced leader in sports marketing, strategic sponsorships and integrated media solutions, Nolan most recently served as Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships at the Detroit Pistons, and has also held various roles at Fox Sports, Comcast and Scripps Media.
Nolan graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and journalism.
David Prout
David joined in 2023 as Director of Operations. His focus is on the process and procedures for our client’s events and sponsorships. David works with our partners in creating meaningful and impactful experiences that drive traffic, build the brand and elevate the community impact.
David has over 20 years of experience in Sports and Community marketing, strategic planning, brand activation and corporate philanthropy. He has worked on numerous national campaigns while also creating experiences and plans that impact a local audience. During his time at Dick’s Sporting Goods, he oversaw the community marketing program that included innovative approaches to sponsorships, activation, local engagement and traffic driving elements.
He received his M.S. from Michigan State University and B.S. from Indiana University. Previous employment stops include Dick’s Sporting Goods, Texas Tech University and Lansing Lugnuts. David currently resides in Royal Oak, MI and is active with numerous volunteer and non-profit organizations.