Willie Banks is a member of the US National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
He is currently the President of HSJ, Incorporated, a sports management and consulting firm that specializes in marketing and networking between the US and Japan. HSJ, Inc. provides its clients with value-added skills and experience for events and sports organizations.
Currently, HSJ, Inc. is the Japanese “Master Distributor” for Fieldturf Tarkett Incorporated, an artificial grass manufacturer. Fieldturf is used for sports stadiums like Giants Stadium, Ford Field, and the Tokyo Dome. As the Master Distributor, Willie manages the sales, installation and maintenance of Field Turf in Japan and Taiwan. As a result of his understanding of the Japanese culture he successfully negotiated with companies like Kawasaki Frontale Soccer team (a J-League team), Tokyo Giants baseball team and the Mitsubishi Sports Club. In addition, while consulting for Dentsu, Japan’s largest advertising and marketing company, Willie introduced Japan to the concept of “naming rights” for stadiums, raising hundreds of millions in revenue.
For many years Willie has assisted cities bidding for international events like the Olympic Games. He has served as the Deputy Executive Director for the 1994 World Cup of soccer and the Director of Athlete Services for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Village. He is famous throughout the world and has represented his country in many ways. Taking note of Willie’s international popularity and outstanding personal character and leadership qualities, Time Magazine once dubbed him “The United States’ ambassador of track and field”.
Though Willie is a former world record holder and Olympian, much of his fame comes from his innovative approach to sports. Willie entertained the crowd and in response the spectators rhythmically clapped while he ran down the runway for his jump. It became so popular that it set a tradition that is mimicked throughout the world to this day.
Willie is a leader. In 2019, Willie was elected Council member to World Athletics, the international federation responsible for the sport of track and field (athletics). He recently sat on the World Olympians Association Executive Committee. He is past-President of the US Olympians. He is a member of the Board of Director for USA Track and Field, 1988 Olympic Team Captain, USATF Alumni President and past chairman of the USATF Athletes Advisory Committee. While working on the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games the Martin Luther King, Jr. Women’s Association awarded Willie with their “Drum Major for Justice” award given to that individual who exemplifies a positive leadership image. During a critical time for US cycling, Willie raised funds to revitalize the Olympic Velodrome in Los Angeles and started the Southern California Velodrome Association which managed both the Olympic and San Diego velodromes.
Willie has written many articles for major publications around the world about subjects ranging from training methods to legal principals. He has given more than 500 speeches in his lifetime to a wide variety of audiences including more than 50 speeches in Japanese. In fact, Willie is an increasingly sought-after speaker for his ability to tailor his speech to his audience and engage them with his wit and charm. Some of the companies that have utilized Willie in personal appearances and speeches include IBM, Georgia Power, BellSouth, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Transamerica, Vons, Minute Maid, and Adidas to name just a few.
It is difficult to find a person more versatile than Willie. Many of his colleagues and supporters say that engaging Willie Banks is surely an “investment in success”.
