At the age of 33, Tate Kelly already has established a lengthy track record of marketing success in the upper echelon of sports organizations, which includes Nike and the National Football League.

“I’ve already worked in a lot of my dream jobs,” says Kelly. “I’ve been very blessed. It’s been an unbelievable ride in a very short period of time.”

Currently, Kelly is vice president of corporate partnerships for Spokane-based professional soccer franchise USL Spokane.

If you ask him what his secret to success is, he will give you a simple answer: authenticity.

“Don’t compromise who you are, and be authentic to who you are,” he says. “The cream always rises to the top.”

He credits his successful sales and marketing career to his authentic salesmanship.  “There’s always going to be people with more charisma, and people that will be smoother talkers,” he says. “But your authenticity, you can’t change that.”

Ryan Harnetiaux, managing partner of Aequus Sports LLC, which owns USL Spokane, sees no lack of charisma in Kelly. According to Harnetiaux, Kelly's use of data and deep knowledge of the Spokane region marries up well with his infectious energy and passion for his work.

“Creating meaningful, long-term relationships that can positively impact the community is Tate’s superpower," he says. 

Scott Wetzel, who nominated Kelly as a Journal of Business Rising Star, concurs.

“I can count on one hand the young people who have impressed me with so much energy and vision for execution,” says Wetzel, CEO, president, and owner of Spokane-based Windermere Mountain West LLC. “His passion for excellence is equal to his desire to do great things for his community—a rare combination.”

A native of Spokane, Kelly is a graduate of Gonzaga Preparatory School and Gonzaga University, where he was a record-breaking track and cross country runner. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in sports management. 

His career began with a summer job at a Nike outpost in Mammoth Lake, California, promoting products to high-school athletes.  Kelly was one of few elite college athletes hand-picked by Nike. “It was like summer camp,” says Kelly. “But working for Nike.”

Following Nike, he accepted a job with IMG College LLC developing and managing corporate sponsorships for GU Athletics. 

After nearly two years with GU, he moved to the University of Oregon, where he also worked for IMG College.

He eventually returned to Spokane when he was offered the associate general manager position for GU Athletics. Within a week of being back, he met the woman who would become his wife, Tsveta, who currently works as an attorney at Spokane-based Lukins Annis PS.

It was at this time that he was named regional account executive of the year and was the top revenue producer for Gonzaga Sports Properties.

Then the NFL called.

A former contact reached out and offered Kelly the director of sales position with the Tennessee Titans.

“My wife was interested in Nashville, and I could see myself living in Nashville,” he says. “It was really hard to leave Gonzaga because they just came off the best year they’ve had (in 2021)."

In Nashville, Kelly handled all the advertising, marketing, hospitality, and ticketing for the Titans and Nissan Stadium.

Kelly’s dad had sent him a newspaper article about a new professional soccer league in Spokane, and as he says, the sports industry can be a lot like the military. “You’ve got to be ready to move when the right opportunity comes.”

Kelly reached out to USL Spokane President Katie Harnetiaux and eventually landed the job with the organization.

As new parents to 4-month-old Toma, Kelly and his wife are happy to be back in Spokane with his family.

And judging by the accolades received by his immediate family members, his personal and professional career in athletics were inevitable.

“My dad is one of two people to have his (Gonzaga Prep) basketball number retired,” he says. “John Stockton and my dad. My dad was definitely a stud.”

His father, Terry Kelly, was a star basketball player at Washington State University and a founding board member of Hoopfest. Kelly’s mom, Cindi, was a semiprofessional runner. Parker, his brother, was a stand-out basketball player at Eastern Washington University.

Even without the benefit of a proven brand that sells itself, like Gonzaga University and the NFL, Kelly loves the new challenge of a startup organization.

“Love the win, love the chase,” he says. “If you don’t love the chase, do something else.”