Coming from a modest upbringing on the south side of Chicago, Joe did not have well-connected mentors to help him land internships and job interviews. At a very young age, Joe learned unique methods to open doors, create opportunities and find jobs. He used his skills to land a meeting with Marshall Field V which led to a job at the Chicago Sun Times Daily News at the age of 17. As Joe likes to say in his motivational speeches, “When the door is closed, you can knock and knock all you want. Sometimes, you just have to kick the damn door down.”
Unsure what to do after graduating college, Joe knew he had to make a move. And fast!
A lifelong fan of the Chicago Bulls basketball team, he walked into their offices and refused to leave until he landed an interview with a Bulls’ executive. Then, he was put to a test. What Joe did that day landed him a job at the Chicago Bulls. You’ll have to hear this unbelievable story in his speech!
Joe’s Chicago Bulls history is one for the ages. He is the longest tenured ticket executive in the NBA. He was part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the nineties and he’s the owner of six NBA World Championship rings. Joe managed the hottest ticket in sports for a ten year period as the Bulls’ won two consecutive three-peats.
Joe is also a philanthropist. He serves on the board of the O’Neil Family Foundation, the auxiliary board of Cara Chicago and the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. He has worked in Cambodia with the New Day Cambodia foundation since 2006 helping dozens of children escape poverty and obtain an education. This work inspired him to start a charity of his own called the O’Neil Family Foundation. In 2009, Joe received the NBA’s Value of the Game award recognizing his outstanding community service and charitable efforts. He is most proud of the fact that one of the children he rescued from Cambodia recently graduated with her law degree from DePaul Law School in Chicago. She passed the bar exam.
Speaking of bars… Joe and his wife, Susan, have been in the bar business since 1998. They currently own the neighborhood bar O’Neil’s on Wells in downtown Chicago.