Not all Ball State University graduates find a way to land their dream jobs in their home states, but Ron Green had a love for public relations and a love for motor sports that made working at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a long-term goal. Three years ago, he was named director of public relations at the speedway, and he became the head spokesman for the landmark facility.
It's a job that he has always been looking for.
"Being from Indiana and working in public relations and motor sports made this job a very coveted seat," Green said.
Green's job requires him to work on three major races each year: the Indianapolis 500, the U.S. Grand Prix and the Brickyard 400. At the Brickyard this year, where fellow Hoosier Tony Stewart won his first race in Indianapolis, Green and his staff worked behind the scenes, helping keep the media and the race going.
Green and his staff were busy working with all types of media and problems on race weekend. He spends his time doing interviews for local television affiliates and radio networks on issues ranging from race security to race-day activities. Green said he is the main subject for interviews regarding the speedway.
"My role is to be the primary spokesman for the speedway," Green said. "I probably do about 85 percent of the interviews on the speedway."
On the Friday of race weekend, Green's day began at 6 a.m. with two interviews for local television stations and a national radio interview with ABC.
When he is not doing interviews on race weekends, he is dealing with the hundreds of media personnel at the speedway. There are nearly 1,000 media staffers at the speedway for the Brickyard, but that number doubles during the month of May. The main job for Green and his staff is to help the media get what they need to do their jobs.
"Once race weekend gets here, it's time for us to pay back the media and provide them everything they need to do their job as smoothly as possible," Green said.
Credential problems for media personnel bog down his staff every race weekend, according to Green. Many people have problems with parking or don't have the correct credentials to get them where they need to go.
Green's usual 12-man staff balloons to 40 people on race weekend to help deal with the onslaught of hundreds of media people. The only way to keep things going smoothly on race weekend is to have months of preparation for his staff, Green said.
"I tell them throughout the year that the harder you work now, the more you will be prepared when the race starts," Green said. "There are always situations that pop up, and you have to be prepared to fix them."
In the months leading up the races, Green and his staff work on media guides, programs and updating the speedway's Web site, which is designed and controlled completely by his staff.
"Our Web site is very hungry, and it needs to be fed everyday with content," Green said.
A problem he dealt with this year was the added sponsorship of Allstate at the Brickyard. Most merchandise for the event had already been printed before the deal was finalized in April, but Green said the deal between the two made sense.
"We've been approached before to sponsor the event, but we never felt it was the right partner," Green said. "Allstate is a Midwestern company, and it really shares the same values as the speedway, which is important."
Race Day
Green does get to enjoy some of race day. During the early part of the race, he said he usually relaxes and watches the race, but postrace preparations begin soon after.
"Anytime the cars are on the track or we're green is the easiest part of my job," Green said. "During the early part of the race, you get to sit back and relax a little bit, but then you're preparing for postrace, which is really the most important time for us on a weekend."
At the end of the race, Green must help media members access drivers quickly and help them find all the information they need. Helping someone from the media find a good story is a part of the job Green loves to do.
"I get satisfaction from knowing that I helped a journalist to fruition," Green said. "Whether it's pitching a newspaper writer to an idea or seeing a TV news team get a story on air that may have been challenging, it is the most gratifying thing I do."
His love for helping media and his personal enjoyment of motor sports make his job one he hopes he can have forever. Growing up in Indiana and as a graduate of Beech Grove High School helped fuel his love for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he can't imagine wanting to leave.
"It's a seat where I've always wanted to sit," Green said. "I still feel like I'm building up my staff to do the best job possible. As long as they still want me here, I should be here a long time."
Finding the dream job
Green's love for motor sports led him to his first job out of college, as well. After graduating from Ball State, Green went to work for the National Speed Sport News publication in New Jersey.
However, after a year away from Indiana, and after becoming engaged, he moved back to Indiana, hoping for a job at the speedway. Although no job opened up at the speedway, Green went into politics in Indianapolis. He worked with the media relations staff for the Indiana House of Representatives through four legislative sessions before finding a job back in racing.
He was hired as director of public relations at the Charlotte International Speedway, which ultimately led him back to Indiana in 1999.
Green said that one thing he learned while at Ball State helped him throughout the early part of his career: "The emphasis on getting practical experience that all of our instructors emphasized to us was valuable," Green said. "It was, by far, the strength in the program for me."
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