Forty Under 40: Chris Klein

Chris Klein Age: 39

Team: LA Galaxy

Title: President

Where born: St. Louis

Education: Indiana University (business degree; marketing)

Family: Wife, Angela; son, Carson (13); daughters, Cami (10) and Brie (4) Favorite way to unwind: Going for a run.

Cause supported: LA Galaxy Foundation.

Most thrilling/adventurous thing I've ever done: Bungee jumping off a bridge in New Zealand.

Person in the industry I'd most like to meet: Tim Finchem.

If I could change jobs with anyone for a day, it would be: Florentino Perez, during a transfer window.

2015 will be a good year if: The Galaxy wins another MLS Cup.

My fellow Forty Under 40 class members would be surprised to know that I: Finished a half-ironman.



ROBERT MORA / LA GALAXY

T

he 2014 season was a banner year for the LA Galaxy and team President Chris Klein. The team won its league-record fifth MLS Cup, with that championship win also marking team and league legend Landon Donovan’s last match. The Galaxy became the first MLS team to launch a second-division team, a move that has since been followed by a number of other MLS clubs. The Galaxy’s home stadium, StubHub Center, launched a $15 million upgrade, a project that included adding what is now the league’s largest video board. The Galaxy also finished the year tops in sponsorship revenue in MLS.

But even with those numerous achievements, Klein said one particular success stuck out to him over these past 12 months.

“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve built here in terms of our team, obviously a champion on the field,” he said. “But for me, just looking at the people I have around me, that’s my biggest success of 2014.”

{podcast} SBJ Podcast:

Forty Under 40 editor Mark Mensheha and Executive Editor Abraham Madkour discuss this year's class, some of the more interesting stories in it and how the selection process works.

Klein, who spent 13 years in MLS as a player and retired with the Galaxy in 2010, was named president of the team in 2013 after serving as vice president and director of the club’s youth academy. He credits that earlier work for his present-day success, and he looks to provide that same level of leadership for those in the early stages of their career with the club.

“When I played, I had older players who took me under their wing, and I am lucky to work closely with people like [AEG CEO and President] Dan Beckerman and [AEG COO] Kelly Cheeseman,” Klein said. “But we also have people in our office that have a great career ahead of them and already play big roles, like [senior director of marketing and broadcasting] Casey Leppanen and [senior director of communications and digital] Brendan Hannan.

“First thing for me, a leadership position entails building the team that you have around you, and I’m proud that we have such a good leadership staff here and a real team atmosphere,” Klein said. “We just want to continue on all of the positive things that we’re doing as a club.”

— Ian Thomas