Dee and Jimmy Haslam are committed to restoring championship football in Cleveland. To best position the team for success, the Haslams have consistently invested in the organization and its facilities to provide the best resources available, while working diligently and responsibly in partnership with the City of Cleveland and the City of Berea.
Prior to the 2016 season, the Haslams and the City of Berea agreed to invest nearly $15 million in the team’s training facility. The development resulted in first-class amenities throughout the building, to create a best-in-class environment not only for the team’s coaches and players, but for every member of the organization. Through the construction, the team renovated 25,000 square feet of space, added 25,000 square feet to the facility and redesigned the locker room, player meeting rooms, player lounge, cafeteria, training room and installed a lap pool and new hot and cold tubs. The renovation also included the addition of a 4,600 square-foot, fully-staffed wellness center to ensure the optimal social, mental and physical health of every Browns employee. Most recently, the Browns and the City of Berea agreed to a lease extension to keep their headquarters there through at least 2039.
From 2014-15, FirstEnergy Stadium, in partnership with the City of Cleveland, received $125 million of upgrades to modernize the interior and exterior of the stadium. All facets of the project – which included new videoboards, additional lower bowl seating, new and refurbished club and premium spaces, upgraded food and beverage selections and more – were incorporated with the mission to provide Browns fans an enhanced in-game experience, while also improving the team’s home-field advantage.
The Haslams have created three primary areas of focus to set the team’s culture in Cleveland and help direct all important processes and decisions for the organization. The club’s standard is centered on providing a consistently winning team on the football field; taking exceptional care of the team’s fans by providing a premier experience throughout the year; and striving to make a positive impact in the Northeast Ohio community with an emphasis on education, youth football and community engagement through volunteerism.
Dee and Jimmy are immersed in numerous philanthropic and community endeavors to impact Northeast Ohio. Upon becoming owners of the Browns, they quickly engaged themselves in the Northeast Ohio community.
In 2017, the Browns’ philanthropic efforts through the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Community Relations and personal giving from the Haslams, coaches, players and the rest of the Browns organization were unified with the launch of “Browns Give Back.”
The Haslams established a focus and direction for the Browns Give Back initiative, with a commitment to make a continuing impact in education, youth football and community engagement through volunteerism. They have invested $10 million in Breakthrough Charter Schools, which helps provide equal educational opportunities for local youths throughout greater Cleveland. The couple also made a substantial gift to Cleveland’s public schools, helping to refurbish many of the city’s athletic fields. In 2016 as part of the their dedication to education, youth and high school football and Cleveland, Dee and Jimmy announced a commitment to provide five Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) fields with high-quality synthetic turf during the next two years. Three fields — Roye Kidd Field, James F. Rhodes Field and Bump Taylor Field — were renovated before the start of the 2016 high school football season. In 2017, renovations were completed on John Adams Field and John Marshall Field. The fields are available to all CMSD schools and are lined to accommodate multiple sports to offer more students opportunities to benefit from the upgraded playing surfaces. In 2018, the field project expanded beyond Cleveland with the refurbishments of a field at Roy C. Start High School in Toledo and George Daniels Field at Lorain High School. In 2019, the field project has continued with breaking of ground for fields at Ellet High School in Akron and Boys Hope Girls Hope in Garfield Heights. By the start of the 2019 high school football season, the Browns have installed nine turf fields as part of the program over a four-year period. The Haslams and Pilot Flying J have also initiated the turf field project in Knoxville, providing funding to transform 13 fields at area high schools.
In 2017, the Haslams announced that all net proceeds from items purchased in the Browns Pro Shop at FirstEnergy Stadium and during training camp in Berea will go towards supporting the Browns Give Back commitment to education and youth football.
The Haslams worked strategically and passionately to bring the NFL Draft to Cleveland, knowing the impact it could have on the community to host such a signature event. On May 22, 2019, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Cleveland would host the 2021 NFL Draft in partnership with the City of Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland.
Dee is also committed to the betterment of the Northeast Ohio community through her active involvement as a member of the board of directors for the Greater Cleveland Partnership; the United Way of Greater Cleveland (Executive Council); University Hospitals Systems; the Cleveland Orchestra; and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She also serves on the boards of the University of Tennessee College of Business; the Emerald Youth Foundation; State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) in Tennessee; and is the acting chair of Lakeshore Park. Dee also serves on the board of the Greater Columbus Partnership.
In May of 2017, Dee was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to ExcelinEd’s Board of Directors, which is a foundation that has become a national leader in the education reform movement. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate after delivering the commencement speech at Baldwin Wallace University.
Dee and Jimmy helped co-found the Haslam Scholars Program in 2008. The program offers unique in-depth academic enrichment for top students at the University of Tennessee.
Jimmy also serves on the boards of the American Federation for Children, the National Association of Truckstop Operators and Anderson Media Corporation. In 2006, he served as Tennessee statewide campaign chair for Bob Corker, now a United States Senator. Jimmy was also the 2010 Tennessee statewide finance chair for Governor Bill Haslam. In October 2011, Jimmy was recognized as a “Significant Sig” by the Sigma Chi Foundation. Jimmy’s additional civic involvement includes service on the boards of directors of Lakeshore Park in Knoxville, Tenn. He formerly served as campaign chair for both Knox Area Rescue Ministries and United Way of Greater Knoxville.
In June of 2017, Jimmy was honored by the Cleveland branch of the NAACP at its 105th Anniversary Celebration Freedom Fund Dinner.
Dee and Jimmy have pushed the Browns to make an impact in the social justice space. They have met with Browns players to support their ideas and efforts in determining the best ways to make an impact. The Browns have hosted three social justice summits; two that brought together the Cleveland Police Department with Cleveland Metropolitan School District high school students to create a forum for open and honest dialogue about social injustice and another that brought community and civic leaders to the Browns facility to engage players and the entire organization. Players have also participated in ride-a-longs with local police departments and the Haslams have provided written testimony in support of state criminal justice reform bills. Dee sits on the NFL’s social justice committee that works directly with players to advise league on social justice initiatives and funding of programs.
In January of 2019, Dee participated in a panel discussion as part of the R.I.S.E. Super Bowl Champions of Change Town Hall at the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss team ownerships’ role in the league’s social justice initiative.
To help further advance the NFL, Jimmy is a member of the league’s business ventures, media, and Hall of Fame committees and chairs the investment committee. Dee serves on the social justice, legislative and conduct committees.
The Haslams received their first award as members of the NFL in 2014 when they were recognized by the Fritz Pollard Alliance with the Paul ‘Tank” Younger Award for promoting diversity within NFL front offices.
In January of 2019, the Haslams expanded their sports interests and investments when they reached an agreement with Major League Soccer to operate the Columbus Crew.
A native a Knoxville, Tenn., Haslam began his career at Pilot Corporation in 1976, a company his family founded in 1958. In 1980, Haslam was named vice president of sales, development and operations. At that time, Pilot operated 100 convenience stores with annual fuel sales of about 125 million gallons. Today, Jimmy serves as CEO of Pilot Flying J, a position he has held since 1996 and the company has grown its network from seven states in the Southeast to 43 states in the U.S., and six Canadian provinces, with more than 750 travel centers and travel plazas. In October of 2017, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired an investment-stake in Pilot Flying J. Jimmy was thrilled to collaborate with Berkshire Hathaway and expressed those feelings in a recent interview, "Obviously to have a partner like Warren and Berkshire Hathaway, I think, is a tremendous honor for our team members. Pilot Flying J has always been a growth company, and obviously partnering with Warren is an opportunity to grow even more."
Dee, an Emmy-nominated TV producer, was the executive producer and CEO of RIVR Media Companies. Since launching RIVR Media in 1999, Dee has been the executive producer for ground breaking series such as “Trading Spaces,” “Whale Wars,” “World Series of Poker,” “Renovation Realities,” “Fat Guys in the Woods,” and “Escaping Polygamy.” Recently, RIVR was named a Realscreen’s Global 100 TV production company. In June of 2012, Dee started Nest Features, an independent film company that produces films in and about the American South. Prior to RIVR’s launch, she worked in various production roles with Bagwell Communications and Cinetel Productions. Dee stepped down from her role as CEO at RIVR Media in early 2018 to devote more of her time to the Cleveland Browns but will remain a partner and executive producer.
Dee’s professional association memberships include: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; In Counsel with Women; Women in Cable Telecommunications; International Women’s Forum; C200; and the Society of International Business Fellows.
This past July, Cleveland Crain’s honored Dee as a 2018 Women of Note for her efforts and commitment towards the betterment of Cleveland.
The Haslams first became involved in the NFL by acquiring minority ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, marking the first time ownership of the franchise expanded beyond the Rooney and McGinley families. The Haslams kept that stake until taking control of the Browns.
On Aug. 2, 2012, Dee, Jimmy and the Haslam family agreed to purchase the Cleveland Browns. The sale was unanimously approved by NFL owners on Oct. 16, 2012, and the closing took place on Oct. 25.
The Haslams have three adult children and five grandchildren.
