Sean Henry

Sean Henry

Sean Henry is the Chief Executive Officer and Alternate Governor for the Nashville Predators.

Biography

Sean Henry is entering his 15th season in SMASHVILLE and could not be more excited to launch the season, which is so full of optimism and levels of excitement that seem higher than they ever have been. The organization’s “relationships over revenue” philosophy has allowed the organization to have its highest client and fan retention levels in franchise history while also attracting key new partners and members of the SMASHVILLE Loyal. That philosophy has also allowed the franchise’s foundation to continue to grow and impact lives while leveraging the community’s passion for the team to mobilize the foundation and staff in support of the entire Middle Tennessee community in a more profound way than ever before, making that achievement greater than any other in his career.

Henry is most grateful for that very community – all of SMASHVILLE, the SMASHVILLE Loyal, and the 7th Man – for creating such an amazingly unique bond with the Preds. Without their support, we would not have been recognized as Arena of the Year by Pollstar magazine, IEBA, CMA and ACM. Our fan support solidifies our constant spot as a Top Workplace by The Tennessean and as the No. 1 professional sports franchise by ESPN, and without their tireless dedication to this franchise and passion for all we aim to achieve, we would not be the organization we are today. Henry is proud to serve these incredible fans alongside the best employees in the industry to reach the ultimate goal. Our fans’ passion for our organization have allowed us to participate in countless league tent pole events, from the All-Star Game to the Winter Classic; to the Stadium Series to the Global Series – our fans have also made Bridgestone Arena the home for the SEC Championship and The CMA Awards!

Alongside an annual impact of over $900 million in tangible economic benefits to the community, the memories built within and around Bridgestone offer an intangible and even more valuable impact than the growing success has created. The reach, power and passion of the amazing fan base continue to extend SMASHVILLE’s ripple effect in so many new ways. From the Nashville Predators Foundation and the Ford Ice Centers, to the rising media ratings and the venue’s status of one of the busiest venues in the world and to SS&E’s launch and the opening of F&M Bank Arena and the third Ford Ice Center, the borders of SMASHVILLE’s growth positively impact families and businesses across the region.

SMASHVILLE continues to grow, reinforcing what an incredible hockey community we have. SS&E is celebrating the first anniversary of the F&M Bank Arena and consistently is involved to try to create new ice centers and Dek Hockey rinks through the community to join the existing Ford Ice Centers and the Lee Company Dek Hockey Rink in providing economic impact throughout SMASHVILLE while removing more and more boundaries for people to enjoy our wonderful sport.

Henry is a graduate of the State University of New York, and was born a Nashvillian, although it took him 42 years to get here from his hometown of West Islip, NY. Before leading his favorite staff in SMASHVILLE, he served for 11 years as the Executive Vice President and COO of the Tampa Bay Lightning, two years as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Unity Motion and 14 years with Volume Services Inc., where he worked with the Detroit Pistons, St. Louis Rams and the Washington Redskins.

Though much of his focus is spent moving the organization towards its ONEGOAL alongside the tireless and passionate SMASHVILLE staff, Henry is grateful for each day that he, along with his wife, Tracey, have the opportunity to serve on the boards of the Nashville Predators Foundation, Wings Of Liberty Museum, Nashville Health, The YWCA of Nashville, Nashville Downtown Partnership, Nashville Sports Council, Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt’s Advisory Board and STARS while also staying involved in their children’s schools,  teams, and clubs.

Henry has been fortunate to have enjoyed some wonderful milestones in his career, but his reigning (it is no longer given out, so the reign will continue!) Father of the Year Award is one that has no equal and one that would not be possible without the support and good humor of his wife of 33 years, Tracey Manning (a.k.a. the Suburban Diva), or his four children, one daughter in law and new granddaughter – Stevie, Katie, Matty, Amy, Jessie and ChaCha. How Henry managed to win this award despite his constant attempts to recreate the National Lampoon’s Vacation and repeated stories (all normally captured in the Diva’s writings), is his greatest achievement. The Henry family ranked those vacations and selected Yellowstone National Park as their top family vacation, though they hope future trips rival that. To memorialize their favorite trip, after years of owning stuffed bears ranging from small to life-sized, they adopted a real, live bear from the wildlife refuge center in the park to join their adopted dogs, Yogi, and Seymour.