Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff provides a timely profile of Len Perna, the CEO of the company in charge of Detroit’s general manager/president of hockey operations search. As it turns out, the TurnkeyZRG boss has significant ties to the Ilitch sports and business empire:
From 1988-94, Perna worked as an executive vice president/executive director for the Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and Olympia Entertainment. Among his roles were leading all marketing partnerships, licensing, media, and new business development for the Tigers, Red Wings, Fox Theater, MeadowBrook Music Theater, and 10 other sports and entertainment properties.
He also served as an executive with the Dallas Stars, and it was during this time that he created Turnkey. Perna was asked by Stars owner Tom Hicks to help with a major project involving the University of Texas.
Hicks was informed by the Stars that one of their employees couldn’t be involved in such a project. Hicks’ suggestion to Perna was that he form his own company and then the university could hire him as a consultant.
In 2017, Perna led the Turnkey search that resulted in the Red Wings hiring Chris Granger as group president, sports and entertainment, for Ilitch Holdings.
“Working with Ilitch Holdings is a dream job,” Perna told Hunt Scanlon Media at the time. “Chris Ilitch is total class.
“The Ilitch family has built one of the biggest and most impactful companies in the industry. No sports company has done more for their community.”
As Duff notes, the company formerly known as Turnkey (as in “Turn Key”) has become the preeminent search firm for executive hiring. Kudos to Sean Shapiro for finding out the identity thereof several weeks ago.
