In January of 2018, the PRCA announced that George Taylor, former executive with Caterpillar, would take over for Commissioner Karl Stressman upon his retirement as the ProRodeo organization’s new CEO.
Taylor — who’d also served as Chief Marketing Officer and President of Caterpillar Venture Capital and, before that, as an executive for IBM— brought an extensive knowledge of brand building and digital innovation to the PRCA. He wasn’t, however, as well-versed in rodeo, having not grown up in the sport. In fact, last year was his first time attending the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, but he has taken to rodeo like a duck to water.
“My experience with the ProRodeo community has been amazing,” says Taylor (pictured above the RFD-TV founder Patrick Gottsch and The Cowboy Channel CEO Raquel Gottsch). To have so many people involved to create these events and impact their local communities is truly special, and I have developed lifelong relationships in my short time being involved with the PRCA. ProRodeo is like no other sport. It is such an important part of our American heritage and history. It is the one sport where men and women are competing in the same arena, at the same time, and for equal money. It is a place where we respect our faith and stand for the flag. People outside of the sport may not understand that most ProRodeos are run by volunteers. Also, the amount of money that is given away to special causes has a tremendous effect on the communities. It’s worth preserving and growing the sport so that generations to come will also be able to participate in and enjoy it.”
FAMILY AFFAIR
“My wife Chris loves being part of the ProRodeo family, and that is exactly how she would describe it — family. She feels like the contestants, committees, and contractors are extended family. She first felt this last year when Wade Sundell handed her his son, Rankan, so that he could watch Shelby run barrels. Chris felt honored that he would trust her with his precious son. Our kids now call her the Crazy Rodeo Grandma because she is always willing to hold someone’s baby. She is so supportive of what I do, and I think people realize that she is an extension of me and committed to the success of ProRodeo. There have been several times that I have given her an option to go to a rodeo or go somewhere else — she chooses a rodeo every time. She has said ‘How did we not know about rodeo before? I want everyone to know and experience this amazing sport.’ If you have not met her, introduce yourself. She enjoys talking to people and learning about what they do, and I think that people have embraced her and love to be around her. I know that I do!”
Taylor and his wife even stick to family traditions while at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “It has been described as the Super Bowl of rodeo, and that is an accurate description, with the exception of experiencing it for 10 nights. We actually leave for Vegas right after Thanksgiving to prepare for the annual convention. What I have found is that there are not enough hours in the day while we are there, with daily meetings, performances, dinners, and events. It made for long days, but it was a great experience to see Las Vegas transformed by cowboys and cowgirls. Last year, Chris insisted that we bring a Christmas tree to Vegas. She brought a tree and our family ornaments to have a little bit of home for the almost three weeks that we were there. It was a nice touch, and we will have a tree set up again this year! We look forward to celebrating the Christmas season at the NFR.”
Taylor’s goals for the coming year center on bringing fans, athletes, and communities together. “Our vision is to bring the best cowboys, the best rodeos, and deliver the best fan experience while positively impacting our communities and embracing the spirit of the West. We have over 700 ProRodeos and nearly 6,350 total members – and we are growing again, which is critical. Part of our strategy is to “Become Known” and deliver great experiences to our fans. The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV are an important part of that and will allow our fans to consistently see and follow their favorite contestants, and learn more about them on a regular basis, even when they aren’t attending a ProRodeo.”
OPEN TO NEW IDEAS
I am always looking to improve, and I am open to ideas and discussions. People should know that. They can talk to me anytime. I believe it’s really important for our sport to be unified. We live in divisive times, and perhaps the most critical issue is to ensure we are all pulling the same direction — to find something we can all agree on to keep moving forward. I look forward to working with our fans, contestants, sponsors, and The Cowboy Channel to get that done. One of my favorite quotes is from Mother Teresa: “I can do things you can’t do. You can do things I can’t do. Together we can do great things.” I say, “Let’s do something great together!”