Regional Director, Business Development - Acadiana

New Orleans Saints•Lafayette, LA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Regional Director, Business Development turns connections into meaningful business opportunities for the Gayle Benson Team of Businesses: New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, Laketown Squadron, Benson Capital, Corporate Realty, other affiliated businesses and real estate holdings. Based within the Acadiana region, this senior individual contributor brings established relationships, local credibility, and the curiosity to recognize where an organization’s needs or ambitions align with the portfolio’s capabilities. The Director builds trust with regional decision-makers, stays close to market activity, and develops qualified opportunities from initial conversation through introduction and ongoing follow-through. Success means translating regional knowledge and relationships into measurable results, working alongside business-line specialists who lead technical evaluation, due diligence, pricing, negotiations, and final decisions.

Requirements

An established network in the Acadiana region, with the trust and connections to engage business owners, executives, and other senior decision-makers.
10+ years of experience in economic development, executive-level business development, commercial banking, commercial real estate, professional services, or a comparable relationship-driven field, with a track record of turning relationships into measurable business or economic development outcomes.
Strong financial literacy and the ability to understand a prospect’s needs, assess commercial potential, and recognize opportunities across industries and business lines.
The ability to listen thoughtfully, ask insightful questions, and bring the right people together for productive conversations that move opportunities forward.
A proactive, independent approach to developing opportunities, managing competing priorities, and staying engaged from the first conversation through meaningful progress and results.
The ability to work effectively with executives and business-line specialists, respect existing relationships and decision-making authority, and coordinate efforts across a diverse portfolio.
The judgment to handle sensitive information, navigate potential conflicts, and represent the portfolio with professionalism.
A willingness to learn the priorities and offerings of each business.

Nice To Haves

Prior professional sports experience
Technical expertise in every business line

Responsibilities

Develop and sustain relationships with business owners, executives, economic development organizations, chambers, lenders, utilities, civic leaders, professional advisers, and industry leaders.
Become a credible, accessible connection to the portfolio within the assigned region.
Stay ahead of regional activity. Track business expansions, relocations, major projects, and contractor activity to understand what is happening, who is involved, and when opportunities may emerge.
Identify both local decision-makers and corporate contacts outside the region who influence purchasing and investment decisions.
Initiate conversations, understand prospect needs, and assess strategic fit, decision-making authority, commercial potential, and timing.
Develop each opportunity with enough context and a clear next step for the appropriate business team to act.
Recognize when a relationship may create opportunities for more than one affiliated business and coordinate relevant introductions.
Keep recommendations grounded in the prospect’s needs, with each business relationship able to stand on its own.
Make introductions that move business forward: bring prospects and internal specialists together for substantive discussions, sharing relevant background, relationship context, and desired outcomes.
Coordinate with existing account owners to maintain continuity and avoid duplicate outreach.
Remain an active regional relationship resource as opportunities progress.
Maintain communication, help resolve coordination challenges, and keep next steps moving while business-line specialists lead evaluation and execution.
Partner with executive leadership and business-line leaders to identify target relationships, market opportunities, and coordinated priorities that guide regional business development efforts.
Keep accurate records of contacts, qualified opportunities, internal ownership, next steps, and outcomes.
Report on pipeline progress, emerging market developments, and measurable results attributable to the Director’s efforts.
Protect confidential information, disclose potential conflicts, and respect each business’s approval authority.
Undertake activities requiring professional licensing, registration, or other authorization only with the necessary credentials and organizational approval.
Other duties as assigned.