Joe Chamberlain

CEO & Managing Partner, West Michigan Whitecaps

Tim Gortsema

President, Grand Rapids Griffins

SVP Business Operations, Rise

Event Date: February 10, 2025 11:30am – 1:30pm
Event Location: International Ballroom, JW Marriott

About Joe Chamberlain

CEO & Managing Partner, West Michigan Whitecaps

Joe Chamberlin, a Grand Rapids native, has served as CEO and Managing Partner of the West Michigan Whitecaps since 2019. The Whitecaps are the High A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and play their home games at LMCU Ballpark, a privately held 8,500 seat entertainment venue located just north of Grand Rapids in Comstock Park, MI. Joe’s appointment as CEO and Managing Partner ushered in a second generation of his family’s controlling interest in the franchise, as the team was founded by his dad, Lew Chamberlin, in 1994.  

Since joining the club in 2014, Joe has helped strengthen the foundation that will ensure the team remains one West Michigan’s most valued community assets and one of MiLB’s premier franchises with projects like the ongoing renovation of LMCU Ballpark, while also expanding the organization’s reach. In 2017 the organization entered the snack food distribution space, now operating as one of the largest distributors of Dippin Dots Ice Cream in the United States and in 2018 Joe founded the Traverse City Pit Spitters, a summer collegiate baseball team playing in Traverse City, MI, and led the acquisition of Turtle Creek Stadium, one of Northern Michigan’s premier outdoor entertainment venues. 

Prior to returning to West Michigan and joining the Whitecaps Front Office, Joe served in a wide range of Human Resources leadership roles with Ally Financial, a large financial services company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. While with Ally Joe spent time based in Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit. Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from The College of Wooster, a small liberal arts school in Ohio, and holds a master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations from Michigan State University. 

About Tim Gortsema

President, Grand Rapids Griffins

A member of the Griffins’ original 1995 staff, Tim Gortsema began his career with DP Fox Sports & Entertainment as director of finance and administration before being named vice president in 1997. In February 2007 he was promoted to senior vice president of business operations, becoming just the second person to direct the Griffins’ front office, and he was named president of the franchise in June 2015.  

Now in his 29th season with the club, Gortsema oversees all business-related activities for the Griffins, including finance and administration, sales and marketing, public and community relations, arena advertising, the Griff’s IceHouse facilities in Grand Rapids, Holland and Georgetown Township, and the team’s affiliation agreement with the Detroit Red Wings. He also helped guide the Grand Rapids Rise through their inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation season in 2024 as the senior vice president of business operations for the franchise, the highest-level women’s pro sports team to ever call Grand Rapids home. 

Gortsema, who in 2011 received the Griffins’ inaugural Founders “Overtime” Award for his career contributions to the organization, was honored as the 2017-18 recipient of the AHL’s James C. Hendy Memorial Award, which is given annually to the league’s outstanding executive. 

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Holland and his MBA from Western Michigan University. Prior to joining DP Fox Sports, he was a manager in the audit department at Deloitte & Touche, LLP. 

About Steve Jbara

Founder & President, Grand Rapids Gold

Steve Jbara is a driven, innovative entrepreneur whose business interests lie in sports, advertising, finance and technology.  

He is founder and president of the Grand Rapids Gold (formerly the Drive), the Denver Nuggets’ affiliate in the NBA G-League. He also serves as CEO of Atomic Honey, a Detroit-based advertising agency, and as Chief Strategy Officer of WaitTime, a startup also based in the Motor City that has developed artificial intelligence software capable of providing real-time insights into crowd behavior at sporting events. Additionally, he is the Chairman for Air Company, a CO2 conversion technology firm based in Brooklyn, New York. 

Jbara’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2013 when he bought a Development League team based in Springfield, Massachusetts and moved it to Grand Rapids, Michigan. It began play the following year as an affiliate of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and became the first team in league history to turn a profit in its first season. Under Jbara’s leadership, the team vaulted to No. 1 in the league in merchandise sales, while hovering in the top five in sponsorship revenue and gate receipts.  

Jbara’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2013 when he bought a Development League team based in Springfield, Massachusetts and moved it to Grand Rapids, Michigan. It began play the following year as an affiliate of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, and became the first team in league history to turn a profit in its first season. Under Jbara’s leadership, the team vaulted to No. 1 in the league in merchandise sales, while hovering in the top five in sponsorship revenue and gate receipts.