Goodbye CLG, and on to New Ventures

As many may already know, I recently left CLG. In short: I've been at CLG for almost 3.5 years which by CLG's timeline is an extremely long time. More recently, I played a significant role in assisting with MSG's acquisition of CLG and integration across multiple departments. I've grown so much during my time at CLG, and now, I am at a crossroads in my life where I'd like to continue to grow and pursue new experiences. For where I want to be in the next decade, I may never have another opportunity like this again so I must bid CLG adieu. Thank you MSG and Nick Allen for attempting to incentivize me to stay; I truly appreciate it. I believe that you will pick up the reins and find the right people to fill in the gaps.



I entered the Esports industry in August 2014. Kelby May, the General Manager at the time, hired me out of a cold e-mail application for their Director of Finance and Operation's position. Surprisingly to me shortly after, Kelby departed for GG and left MaTTcom and I to take over. Luck or fate, I came into the organization barely knowing much about the scene, smack in the middle of what were some pretty dark ages. For those of you around long enough or know about the history of CLG, you'll remember that this was just before CLG completed a 3-2 reverse sweep against Curse Academy to barely avoid relegations. The team at the time consisted of George, MaTTcom, Tony (Zikzlol), and the players Aphromoo, Doublelift, Link, Dexter, and Seraph.



I've been at CLG for about half its life now, and even then maybe only the most devoted fans know about me and what I do here. Even many players don't really know everything that I do, but that's fine with me. I've always been in a way sort of a shadow warrior here at CLG. I help both talent and staff accomplish their goals by handling the environment and entity they practice in. My purpose at CLG has always been to learn and grow, to support, and to enable. I've built up the HR, legal, accounting, IT and networking, and financial systems of CLG to date including also but not limited to the processing of contracts, insurance coverages, payroll, AR/AP, budgeting and projections. I took care of all aspects of facilities: from search, lease negotiations, maintenance, utilities, to fixed assets (we currently have 5 properties leased in addition to the CLG Compound). I've also handled almost all aspects of the organization during my time here passing them off here and there, and inheriting them again during personnel transition periods including the store, Twitch, website, social media, managing the CS:GO team etc.



I'm proud of how far I've been able to assist with the growth and scale of the organization from an entirely scrappy 8 person organization living in a jank house to at one point supporting 70+ and 6 properties. Given the resources and experience of MSG along with Nick Allen's leadership, I'm pretty confident that CLG will be in a great position in the future. The MSG/CLG acquisition sparks a new age for CLG. CLG will finally be able to compete without the prior financial restraints that it used to struggle with. CLG needed a partner with the experience of running teams as well as a business partner with relationships relevant to the scene. I'm optimistic with Nick at the helm of CLG and his ability to leverage MSG resources in the areas where the organization will need it most.



Thank you George and CLG for empowering and providing an environment in which I was able to grow and develop myself. It was truly a special experience to have helped a small start-up company all the way to acquisition by a renowned public company.



Thank you everyone who has been a part of CLG during my time. All of you have made a positive impact on me in some way. I'll never forget all of the fun, the roller coasters of emotions we've experienced together, the feeling of being a part of something greater than ourselves, and working together toward success.



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