An entrepreneur whose technological savvy, passion for sports and relationship building for more than the last two decades will be honored by the Eastern Athletic Communications Association (EAST-COMM) on Thursday night, June 22, when Jeff Rubin, executive vice president of digital for LEARFIELD and the president and founder of SIDEARM Sports, receives the association's Bob Kenworthy Award at its annual workshop at the Sheraton Springfield (Mass.) Monarch Place.

Named in honor of long-time Gettysburg College sports information director Bob Kenworthy, the award is presented at the discretion of the EAST-COMM Executive Board to an extraordinary person or organization for exceptional contributions to the Corporation and mission of EAST-COMM.

A native of Wayland, Mass., Rubin received his bachelor's degree in information technology from Syracuse University in 1995 before later earning a master's in telecommunications management. He has served his alma mater in a teaching capacity since 1996, as well as for the last two years as a special advisor to the chancellor on digital transformation. 

But where Rubin is being recognized by EAST-COMM are for his 23 years with SIDEARM Sports (formerly Internet Consulting Services), which he founded in January 2000. Those in the athletic communications field know just how vital internet presence is to their day-to-day jobs at their respective colleges and universities, and it was Rubin's work in 2001 in helping Syracuse's athletic department launch suathletics.com that started a foray into digital fan engagement platforms for college athletics that now sees his company boast a portfolio of more than 1,500 websites hosted. What's more, Rubin's list of volunteer service in his community spans over a decade, up to and including present advisory board positions at Syracuse for both the David B. Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics and the University's School of Information Studies. A recent winner of the Keith Jackson Award from College Sports Communicators, Rubin and his company have been ever present at EAST-COMM and CSC conventions ever since working with Sue Edson and Pete Moore on SU's athletics website project 22 years ago. And it is through the long-lasting partnerships not only with both organizations, but especially with those in the athletic communications field that his company serves, that has placed Rubin as an industry leader who is highly respected.

EC: What went through your mind when you received the call to let you know you would be receiving the Kenworthy Award?

JR: It's hard to put into words because it was a feeling of pride, and overwhelming at the same time. The reason I say it was overwhelming is because I've been a part of EAST-COMM/(formerly) ECAC-SIDA for so long that seeing who else has won these awards and been recognized – I never would ever put my name in that category; not in my wildest thoughts. So getting the call was just an overwhelming feeling of pride and gratitude to the organization.

EC: What do you do to keep a work-life balance between running SIDEARM Sports, and being around for (wife) Jennifer and (sons) Nathan and Benjamin?

JR: My goal is to be home for dinner every night, and those evening hours are my time with the family. So, what does that mean? It means often that I'll get to the office by 6 a.m. because there is a lot on my plate and so I can work a full day. (Nathan and Benjamin) are both teenagers, and Nathan has worked in the press box with me at Syracuse football games for the last six to seven years. So while my job requires some long hours, I try very hard to strike that balance and take a couple of vacations in order to relax and spend some quality time with the three of them.

EC: In terms of the successes you've had professionally and otherwise, it's probably very similar to those in the athletic communications field with respect to having more than a few people who have helped get you to where you are today.

JR: Within this industry, it is really one big family. We all can be dysfunctional at times, and there are folks you might get along with more than others, just like siblings or cousins or extended family. But within this athletics family at the end of the day, you want the best for everyone and care about them. Going back to earlier in my career, the late Jake Crouthamel was the athletic director at Syracuse that took a chance on me. Outside of the industry, the late Ray von Dran was a former dean at SU who encouraged me, mentored me and gave me the confidence to grow. In this field, some of the earliest relations have been some of the strongest, including but nowhere near limited to Ira Thor, Tom Emberley, Larry Dougherty, Jeff Bernstein, Ann King, Jason Fein and Scottie Rodgers, to name just a few – and I feel bad naming folks because I'll inevitably leave very deserving names out. At SIDEARM, Jamie Joss was not only our second client when he was at Rochester Institute of Technology, but then he became one of our most important hires for the success of the company. But it was all of that loyalty and support early on – both on campuses and in the company – that was so critical to our growth.

EC: Earlier, you spoke about how this field is very much a family. What has that meant for LEARFIELD/SIDEARM's growth?

JR: This is not a job for me; this is not a career. This is part of my life, and part of who I am at the core. It's college athletics, it's technology, it's relationships. And if you're giving advice to somebody starting out, it has to start with the relationships. I don't care what you're passionate about; passion isn't going to drive success. I think relationships drive happiness and success, and it's that family feel in college athletics, for sure. SIDEARM has grown substantially and while I don't pretend to have a direct relationship with sports information personnel at every one of our clients, that's okay because somebody within the SIDEARM family does have that relationship. For a long time, it was me that had all of those and that got us growing. Now, it's important that other folks at SIDEARM can have those deep relationships that both allowed SIDEARM to grow professionally, alongside some of these wonderful folks within this industry.

Rubin and all the other EAST-COMM award winners will be recognized at the annual Awards Banquet on Thursday, June 22 in Springfield, Mass.