Member Thought Leadership
Charlie Turano, Executive Director at Heritage Werks, emphasizes that a sports organization’s history is not merely nostalgic—it’s a strategic asset that can drive fan connection, brand strength, and franchise value. At Heritage Werks, he helps teams digitize archives and weave historical moments into campaigns, stadium experiences, and leadership narratives, turning repositories of memorabilia into active brand-building tools. He highlights how recent initiatives—such as the New York Mets launching a virtual vault and restoring Old Timers’ Game, and the Detroit Red Wings blending history into their new arena—have deepened fan loyalty and clarified brand identity. Turano stresses that heritage must be treated as a core strategic asset, used daily to onboard executives, shape culture, and inform leadership communication. In an era dominated by trends like NFTs and short‑form content, he argues that emotional, multi-generational fan relationships built on authentic storytelling will endure over gimmicks. Ultimately, Turano believes that future-proofing a brand starts by activating its past in meaningful, purposeful ways.
