DETROIT -- Christopher Ilitch referred to Tom Wilson, his one-time business competitor, as innovative, a visionary, a man who gets things done.

Wilson will help grow and expand the Ilitch sports and entertainment empire. And a big part of that growth is to potentially get the Detroit Red Wings a state-of-the-art facility to replace the outdated Joe Louis Arena.

“Tom’s going to be leading our thinking and our initiatives in that regard,” Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, said Tuesday at a news conference welcoming Wilson into the organization. “He clearly has the resume and the experience and he’s exceptionally well-suited for it.”

Wilson played a key role in getting The Palace of Auburn Hills built two decades ago for the Detroit Pistons. He resigned last week after 32 years with Palace Sports & Entertainment. He now is the president and CEO of a yet-to-be-named enterprise of Ilitch Holdings.

Wilson will oversee the business and marketing operations of the various Ilitch entities, which includes the Red Wings and Detroit Tigers.

“We have a chance to shape the business for two teams, which is going to be fun,” Wilson said. “We have an opportunity to dig into the entertainment side of the business with six different venues. We’ll get involved a little bit in the casino side, all the Ilitch empires.”

But his first major task is to settle the Red Wings’ building issues.

“It’s a very important decision, not only for our hockey club, but for this community, as to whether we stay at the Joe and renovate the Joe or build a new arena,” Ilitch said.

Ilitch, whose organization has purchased land around the Fox Theatre, prompting speculation it will be the site for a new arena, said there are “a lot of possibilities in the city of Detroit” for an arena location. He put no time frame on when he would like a building in place but said once they decide which course to take they will move swiftly.

The Red Wings are in the final year of their lease at Joe Louis Arena and Ilitch said there is no looming deadline in securing a new short-term lease.

“We’ve been working with the City of Detroit for some time for a new lease at the Joe. We continue to make good progress,” Ilitch said. “We got a great relationship with the city and we’re of the same mindset to work something out.”

But he also didn’t rule out the possibility of the Red Wings playing at The Palace while a new arena is built.

“We’re not really here to announce or get into that type of thing at this point,” Ilitch said.

Ilitch said it’s too soon to say whether his organization will seek public funding to build an arena. He seemed lukewarm to the possibility of having the Red Wings and Pistons share a new downtown arena.

“Naturally, having two sports teams in one facility makes a whole lot more sense, but the fact of the matter is, they’re separately owned organizations today, they’re of different locales, they have their existing buildings, so there would be a lot of ground to cover for that ever to become a reality,” Ilitch said. “And quite frankly, that’s not our focus.”

Added Wilson: “In an optimal situation, you would have teams together. It does make sense, but it’s a complicated process.”

Ilitch did not rule out buying the Pistons but indicated they are more focused on growing their existing businesses.

“I would say we’re focused on our existing businesses and we’ll go from there,” Ilitch said. “It’s tough to say at this point (whether there is interest in the Pistons).”

Wilson said Ilitch already has given him a list of 40 or 50 things to look into, from expansions and acquisitions to growth and diversification. Wilson said it will not be uncomfortable competing against his former employer.

“While we used to be sort of bitter rivals, now we’re just sort of rivals and competitors,” Wilson said. “There is no one rooting against each other. We all sort of realize that if the Tigers win a pennant, that’s great for everybody. If the Pistons win a championship, that’s great for everybody.

“There’s a natural competition and I know that it will be a little awkward. They’re going to like to beat me as much as I’d like to beat them. So that makes it fun.”

Wilson apparently will have little or no involvement in the hockey and baseball operations of Ilitches’ teams, whose power structure remains the same. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and Tigers president and CEO Dave Dombrowski will continue to report to owner Mike Ilitch.

“Nothing changes in that regard,” Mike Ilitch said in a statement. “However, given Tom’s sales and marketing expertise, his connections in the industry and community, and his proven ability to get things done, I believe Ken, Dave and Tom will find natural opportunities to partner together on the promotional and customer-service sides of hockey and baseball.”