Hometown Report: Uhrik’s ‘suite’ ride at Golden State

Greg Uhrik, a fresh-faced new employee of the Golden State Warriors a decade ago, was handed a list for his first task.

The list was names of fans who have attended games as long as five years before. Uhrik’s job was simple – put backsides into seats at what now is Oracle Arena. Seats were available in 2006. The Warriors had not reached the playoffs in 12 years and had not won an NBA title since 1975.

“I was a ticket sales representative. I contacted people about buying ticket packages, mini-plans and season tickets,” Uhrik remembered. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Ten years later, Uhrik cannot complain. The Warriors sit atop the NBA, Oracle is the nerve-center of the hoops universe and Uhrik can’t sell arena suites to CEOs fast enough. For any front-office official in professional sports, it’s truly a pinch-me snapshot in time: marketing basketball’s best and most crowd-pleasing team to an adoring public.

“I never thought it would be this good,” Uhrik said.

Today, Uhrik – a graduate of Modesto High School and UC Santa Barbara – is Golden State’s director of suite and hospitality solutions. When he started with the Warriors, a suite for a regular-season game cost $4,000. During last year’s NBA Finals, the price tag was $100,000.

“It’s crazy. We sell them all,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s amazing.”

Uhrik, 32, has bridged a lifetime passion for sports into professional success. He arrives for work at 9 a.m. and, on game nights, doesn’t finish until 11 p.m. For him, it’s perfect: making the rounds with new fans, hobnobbing with old ones, shaking hands and letting the most exciting basketball team on the planet sell itself.

“It’s the best of all worlds,” he said. “You see everyone at their best moments, having a drink and relaxed. Everyone is in a good mood.”

Uhrik’s clients include Apple, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and other business whales. His experience as a golfer – he played for the Panthers – serves him well. He often entertains present and future clients on the fairways.

One suite owner, a member of Augusta National, produced a bucket-list experience for Uhrik and his father, Geoff – tickets to the Saturday and Sunday rounds of the Masters earlier this month.

“My background as a golfer has been so important. I’m grateful to my parents for my interest in sports,” Uhrik said. “It really is hard to believe. I just took my father to The Masters.”

Susan Uhrik, Greg’s mother, was a former professional tennis player. She and Geoff made sure their son and three daughters were introduced to the joys of athletics. Julianna, a sister, earned a four-year golf scholarship at Oregon State.

From those roots, Greg forged his career. In a sense, he and the Warriors grew together. His first season coincided with Golden State’s pulsating “We Believe” team which shocked the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Indifferent years followed, but the Warriors struck gold in 2009 by drafting Stephen Curry, an undersized and injury-prone guard.

The puzzle pieces eventually fit, thanks to smart and aggressive new owners, wise judgments in personnel and a fan base that stayed patient and loyal. Uhrik saw it all from the inside.

“When Steph first came, we’d talk golf and his eyes would light up. We were supposed to play at Half Moon Bay two years ago, but I tore my ACL playing basketball,” Uhrik said. “Now he has two kids and is pulled in all different directions. But everyone will tell you that he’s still humble and hasn’t changed a bit.”

The 2015 championship run left Uhrik both weary and ecstatic. To him, it was worth the chaotic pace and emotional ups and downs leading to the victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The parade through downtown Oakland remains a vivid memory.

The only way to top it, of course, is to repeat it. Golden State only has gotten better, given its record-setting 73-9 regular season.

Uhrik already has locked down sales for the Warriors’ second-round playoff series, if it happens. Planning ahead is a must. He’s already begun preliminary work for the Chase Center, the Warriors’ proposed home in San Francisco.

Having been with Golden State for 10 years wasn’t anticipated but, again, he can’t argue with the results. Who knew a former Kings fan would ride a rainbow to success with the Warriors?

“They’re actually paying me to be there,” he said.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Hometown Report: Uhrik’s ‘suite’ ride at Golden State."