While he won’t likely tip the scale in the way of Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban, Cleveland Browns owner Jim Haslam is going to be around the city of Cleveland and his new football team a lot more than his predecessor. Sports Illustrated’s Peter King penned a column following a 30-minute conversation and, like most that have crossed the new owner’s path, came away impressed.
“It’s very important to thank your customers for their loyalty,” Haslam told King. “In my business, I go to the stores unannounced fairly often to talk to my employees. It’s important to assess your business often, and to ask the people out in the field for ideas. I ask, ‘What are we doing wrong?’ Ninety-five percent of our new ideas come from our employees.”
King adds that Haslam yearns to learn. Far from an expert on the Cleveland Browns, it’s Haslam’s job to learn the ways of the Orange and Browns. It sounds as if the new owner plans on bringing a lot of what he learned through his years as partial owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers — stability, consistency, leadership — across state lines. In his discussion with King, Haslam appeared adamantly concerned about the coaching carousel that has plagued the Browns since their return in 1999.
