Just a few weeks into preparing for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Derrick Salisbury ’90 complimented one of his five South Korean assistant directors for her exceptional English skills. "She thanked me and said she sharpened her skills at a small American school in Upstate N.Y.,” said Salisbury, who works as a medals plaza producer for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. “When I asked her which school she’d attended, I never thought it would be my alma mater, SUNY Oswego." Excited to discover the SUNY Oswego connection, Salisbury and Nicky GaWon Kim, who studied at SUNY Oswego in fall 2012, talked about their favorite memories. “Nicky started her Oswego State experience living in Hart Hall as an international exchange student, but moved to Waterbury Hall so she could interact more with students from the states,” Salisbury said. “I lived on the fourth floor of Hart Hall during my four years at Oswego State.” Salisbury said that Nicky has mentioned some things she loved - including dining hall chicken patties - and, more importantly, the friends and faculty who made a lasting impression on her during her semester at Oswego. As they gear up for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Salisbury said he and Nicky have reminisced about the beautiful Lake Ontario sunsets and joked that the freezing cold winters at Oswego have prepared them for the snowy conditions they are experiencing. As far as any gold medal predictions, Nicky has high hopes for the South Korean athletes to come out on top. “And, we both hope that all of the athletes have a great Games experience, competing in world-class venues and cheered on by the friendly people of Korea,” Salisbury said. Salisbury traveled to PyeongChang as a consultant for Event Transport Solutions, based in Orlando, Fla. The company is one of many that have been charged with producing the medals show. Salisbury is also the director of transportation for athletes receiving medals: He oversees the committee responsible for transporting every gold, silver, and bronze athlete to Medals Plaza over the 17 days of the Olympics and the 10 days of the Paralympic Winter Games. It all started when Salisbury was 16 years old and attended the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in California with his uncle. While attending SUNY Oswego as an undergraduate, he dreamed of one day working at the Olympic games. After graduation, Salisbury volunteered for the Syracuse Sports Corporation, where he assisted in bringing amateur sports games and events to Syracuse, N.Y. Through other internship opportunities (including the Walt Disney Internship Program), Salisbury created connections and eventually found himself volunteering for the World Cup Soccer venue in Orlando, Fla., in 1992. While in Orlando, Salisbury helped produce a bid that successfully brought Olympic soccer to the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. After founding his own company, Strategy Sports Group in 1998, Salisbury was recruited by one of his clients to facilitate the transportation of professional athletes and Olympic performers to Medals Plaza for the Salt Lake City Olympics, where the games were held in 2002. Since this jumping-off point, Salisbury has been deeply involved with the U.S. Olympic Committee, overseeing the coordination of transportation for a multitude of significant events. In 2005, he was the Bush family transportation manager during the U.S. presidential inauguration; he was a transportation consultant for the renowned Ironman Triathlon from 2007 to 2011; and today, Salisbury is involved with the 2018 Winter Olympic Games held in PyeongChang, South Korea, his 11th Olympic Games. “Every Games has provided me with unbelievable experiences of working with some of the best events staff, volunteers and athletes in the world,” Salisbury said. PHOTO CAPTION: Derrick Salisbury ’90 and Nicky GaWon Kim, who studied at SUNY Oswego in fall 2012 as an international exchange student, are working together at the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea.
-Lauren Sandford ’18