Craig Cheek knew even in his retirement he’d hardly be dormant.

Even before stepping down as a vice president at Nike two years ago after 26 years with the athletic apparel giant, the Vancouver native was planning his next move.

Cheek, 56, is now the founder and president of the Portland Diamond Project, heading the most recent, and perhaps most organized, effort to bring a Major League Baseball team to Portland.

His vision? Get fans, investors and MLB brass to see the Portland he sees: a vibrant, rapidly growing city primed for another professional sports team.

And a yet-unnamed waterfront lot poised to be the city’s next hub of growth.

Cheek’s career took him to Los Angeles, Portland and all around the world as he rose through the ranks in 26 years at Nike, but he spent his formative years in Vancouver, where he was a fixture in the early days of Alcoa Little League baseball and a three-sport athlete at Fort Vancouver High School.