The unexpected death of Kevin Bruder, CVE, Sunday, May 11, left a hole in the hearts of hockey and venue execs around the nation.
Kevin Bruder, CVE
Bruder, 56, died while enjoying the great Utah outdoors. He was at the peak of his career, serving as general manager of Maverik Center, West Valley City, Utah, for Centennial Management Group; president and CEO of the Utah Grizzlies, and chairman of the ECHL board of governors. His work associates posted fond memories on social media, lauding the culture of professionalism, inclusion and loyalty he fostered.
His greatest joy was his family. Survivors include his wife, Susan and four children: Allison, Emily, Joel and Christopher. His wife Susan posted that “on Sunday I lost my best friend, my heart, my person, while he was doing one of the things he loved—trail running/hiking by our home. We met at Iowa State University our sophomore year. Married on May 25, 1991, and went on to have four beautiful children.”
In the beginning, Bruder was a finance guy, joining Ogden Entertainment Services in 1992. Brad Mayne, CVE, recalls Bruder’s years at Ogden, where he set up the accounting machinations to operate Ogden’s vast venue management portfolio during this nearly five-year stint there.
“Kevin was always a quality guy,” Mayne said. “Even if you were having an argument with him, he kept his cool.” A memory that stands out when he recalls his years with Bruder at Ogden involved a legal action brought by the local hockey team against the financial manager and city at a Washington state arena. In Mayne’s opinion, the hockey team was already in breach of contract, but he did get some pushback from Ogden corporate about working with your customers. Bruder was sent in to do an audit and declared everything perfectly legitimate and above board on the venue’s part. The legal action was dropped, but the memory of Bruder’s great value system, truthfulness and objectivity lingered on,
Kevin Bruder, CVE, and Utah Grizzlies mascot Grizzbee present a fan with a jersey on Military Appreciation Night.
Mayne continued working with Bruder at IAVM, where Mayne became CEO and Bruder was a very active volunteer. Bruder joined IAVM in 1995 and served on several committees and the board of directors. One of his passions was his work with IAVM on the TEAM (Techniques of Effective Alcohol Management) Coalition. Bruder’s volunteerism included serving on the board of directors (2002-2003 and 2009-2011), and working with the Arena Sector Committee, Mentoring Committee, Industry Affairs Committee, Life Safety Council, and Certification Committee, among other jobs. He earned his Certified Venue Executive designation in 2018.
Meanwhile he was managing venues and sports teams. In 1997, he moved his family to Utah to become general manager of Maverik Center, then known as The E-Center. That venue
hosted hockey during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, a highlight of Bruder’s career. In 2005, he was named president and CEO of the Utah Grizzlies, and in 2021, he was elected Chairman of the ECHL Board of Governors.
Randy Mayne, assistant GM at Maverik Center (and Brad Mayne’s nephew), noted Bruder was a driving force for all things IAVM in the Utah chapter, which recently had a successful conference, and for all things TEAM Coalition-related. He was in Portland for the last VenueConnect. Bruder’s volunteerism also extended to Make-A-Wish Utah, Visit Salt Lake and more.
The staff at the 10,500-seat Maverik Center and related businesses, which numbers about 60 fulltime, met Monday to regroup and remember after Bruder’s passing and the overwhelming consensus was that he was more than a boss, he was a friend; he was humble, “and the culture we have inside the building is a testament to Kevin’s behavior. We opened the building in 1997. Our director of operations, our VP over on the Grizzlies side and I have all been here for 28 years. We just had a controller retire after 26 years. A lot of people have stuck around working for such a great individual,” Randy Mayne said. “It’s kind of unique in venue management. We have had other opportunities, but it has always come back to what Kevin has done for all of us personally, the foundation he built and the culture that we have inside the walls of the Maverik Center.”
Going forward, “we have some big shoes to fill, but we can do this collectively,” Randy Mayne told the staff. Mayne started as suite manager for the building when it first opened and has enjoyed rapid growth in the venue. Maverik Center is privately owned but is a public facility. Centennial Management Group ran the day-to-day operations and expanded to provide
Kevin and Susan Bruder
staffing for numerous buildings, including the University of Utah, Utah State, BYU, Salt Palace, and the Sundance Film Festival. “Kevin was an integral part of that and he gave us the opportunity and we ran with it.”
In the Grizzlies official statement, Bruder was said to be “deeply admired by his employees, many of whom worked alongside him for decades. He fostered a culture of professionalism, inclusion, and loyalty—marked by a strong sense of family. He led with integrity, humility, and consistency, always quick to celebrate the accomplishments of others and committed to promoting from within. He believed in people, and he created opportunities for countless careers to flourish under his mentorship.”
Kevin Bruder, who was born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1968, will be laid to rest at Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy, Utah Tuesday, May 20.
