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(IBJ Photo/Aaron P. Bernstein)The need for speed: “The competitive drive has always been very natural to me,” said Krisiloff, “whether racing bicycles or racing to the door for recess as a first-grader. … Competition now means just trying to do a good job.”
Crash course: A BMX accident led to a broken neck at age 9. “I spent a lot of time in the hospital trying to learn how to walk again. You take that and use it the rest of your life to harness experience and face challenges.”
Accepting the family business: As a grandson of Mari Hulman George, Krisiloff is the eldest of the “next generation” of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway family. But he didn’t seriously consider the Speedway for a career until his freshman year at the University of Southern Indiana when he took his first official internship there in event marketing. “I was always very passionate about the Speedway and the 500 obviously, but, sure, I could have said, ‘What other interests do I have?’ Trust me, there are plenty of them. But not many people have the opportunity to be passionate about what they do. So I dedicated myself to being educated, to work hard, to earn my spot in the company, and to be a good team player. We’re all really focused on building experience and earning respect and giving ourselves to the challenge.”
Family: wife, Megan; sons Van, 6, and Dax, 4
Whom you know: “People say, ‘It must be great. You’re so lucky,’” said Krisiloff. “And we are. But I also say, ‘You have no idea the pressure of being a family member in an organization with such a high profile.’ In some ways, we put more pressure on ourselves to exceed people’s expectations.”
More than selling seats: “The biggest misconception is that marketing is just about ticket sales,” Krisiloff said. “But during race day, my team is everywhere, feet on the ground, pulling the strings behind the scenes making things happen. You normally wouldn’t think about the marketing department helping coordinate the flyover, but that’s where I spent time, at the top of the Pagoda, coordinating with the FAA. I’ve barely seen a lap in two years.”
More challenges: In January, Krisiloff joined fellow master’s students (he’s doing distance-learning studies at Ohio University) in the Rickshaw Run, a 14-day charity trek across India in a motorized rickshaw. “I know them,” he said of his teammates before the race. “But after this, I’ll know them all a lot better.”•
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