The Harlem Globetrotters are now the Gwinnett Globetrotters – geography-wise, if not in name. On Monday, the world-famous basketball troupe cut the ribbon at its new Peachtree Corners headquarters, completing its move from Phoenix, Arizona, and officially becoming a metro Atlanta-based business.
All of that has been reported – but what does it really mean? Let's ask Globies president Howard Smith.
‘A very strategic move’
The simple explanation for the Globetrotters’ move is this: their parent company, Herschend Enterprises, is already here. Both are now housed on the same floor of the same building. Corporate convenience.
And there's also this, Smith said: "Atlanta is home to some of the world's most recognized Fortune 500 brands, there's a thriving entertainment industry, it's a great professional sports town, and of course there's the World's Busiest Airport, so it's a perfect location."
Seriously though – what does it mean?
Job-wise, it means the Globetrotters have already moved 25 or so staff members to Gwinnett. Over the next few months, Smith said, they’ll do some hiring and reach “peak capacity” of about 50 full-time staffers.
“Our office in the Atlanta area is comprised of more corporate functions,” Smith said. "Finance, marketing, accounting, operations."
So…what about the players?
As Smith points out, the actual team – which is split into as many as four different “units” and spread across, well, the globe – doesn’t spend much time in any one place. That includes Gwinnett.
So no, they won't be regularly practicing at Duluth's Infinite Energy Center, and there will be no SportsCenter-commercial type shenanigans going on in Peachtree Corners.
“As you can imagine, the Globetrotters, the players, the stars, are constantly traveling the world,” Smith said.
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