Dolphins name Garfinkel president, CEO

Sep 9, 2013 - 3:11 PM Davie, FL (Sports Network) - Tom Garfinkel was named president and chief executive officer of the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium on Monday.

Garfinkel will be responsible for all business operations of the Dolphins and the venue that serves as the club's home.

"I'm excited to announce that Tom Garfinkel is our new president and CEO," said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. "As we set out to find the right leader for the organization, we had a specific set of criteria that we felt were critical. Tom has all of the qualities that we said were important in making this hire. Throughout an exhaustive process, Tom simply stood out from what was a great pool of candidates and it became an obvious choice. His intellect, leadership philosophy, and strategic mindset were clear separators. He is the right person because he is a leader with vision and integrity who can take this organization to the next level."

Garfinkel held similar titles with the Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres before announcing his resignation in July. He was named the Padres' president and chief operating officer in April 2009. Three years later, Garfinkel was promoted to CEO.

During his time with the Padres, Garfinkel helped grow local revenues and attendance, improved and innovated concessions, and executed a new local television contract worth over $1.2 billion.

Working for the Padres wasn't his first job in baseball. Prior to joining San Diego, Garfinkel served as the executive vice president and COO of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also spent five years in auto racing as executive vice president at Chip Ganassi Racing.