People of the Speedway--Mark Miles
Mark Miles
Many Hoosiers can remember when Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl. It was an opportunity for the city to showcase itself as a sports mecca. At the center of the action was Mark Miles, the chair of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. The direct economic impact of Super Bowl 2012 on Indianapolis was $152 million. The Host Committee touted that 116,000 visitors came to Indianapolis for the 10-day period before the Super Bowl from 50 or more miles away. Among other things, the Hosting Committee created a central village that drew thousands to exhibits, concerts, and other things, including a zip line. Sponsors were key to the success of the Indianapolis Super Bowl.
Miles is an Indianapolis native. After graduating from Wabash College, he was the campaign manager for Dan Quayle’s successful U. S. Senate bid in 1980. He moved to Washington, D. C., and worked as Quayle’s administrative assistant for several months. In August 1981, he was appointed the special assistant to the chairman of the board of the Indianapolis Water Company.
In 1984, Miles was selected president of the Pan American Games (PAX/I) in Indianapolis. He was 33 years old. Most cities have five or six years to prepare to host the Pan American Games. Indianapolis had two and a half years. This was possible, in part, because Indianapolis already had over $136 million of first-class sports facilities. Indianapolis was the first host city to break even financially. The Games are estimated to have brought $175 million to the city’s economy.
He became the director of corporate communications at Eli Lilly and Company in 1988. While at Eli Lilly, Miles cut his teeth running a sports organization by organizing the GTE/U.S. Open Hardcourt Championship in Indianapolis. In 1990, he was hired to lead the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour, which, like IndyCar, had multiple issues. Things were so contentious that many believed the ATP would fold before he assumed operations in London, England. Under his leadership, the ATP did not fold; instead, it became a billion-dollar enterprise with tournaments across the Middle East, Asia, and South America, and a sponsorship by Mercedes-Benz. Prize money grew from $47.5 million to $85.1 million. At the time, Miles was the director of corporate communications at Eli Lilly and Company
In October 2005, Miles became the president of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, a consortium of approximately 50 of central Indiana’s leading businesses, foundations, and universities focused on long-term growth and economic development in central Indiana.
In November 2012, Hulman & Company, which owned IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hired Miles as its CEO. At the time, IndyCar was struggling after a multi-year split in open-wheel racing. Although the remnants of CART and IndyCar had merged in 2008, the sport remained in disarray because of a declining audience, a struggling TV package, and too few sponsors. Additionally, Tony George, previous CEO of Hulman & Company, made an unsolicited offer to buy IndyCar. Miles had joined the Hulman & Company board in March, so he already had a working knowledge of the challenges he faced. Miles knew his success depended on getting the sides to work together.
When Roger Penske purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, Miles was appointed to head Penske Entertainment, the umbrella organization for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and IMS Productions.