As the Expos Peanut project moves from abstract idea to disciplined exploration, I’ve found it useful to be explicit about how I’m thinking about people, roles, and sequencing. Frankly, one month into the journey, I have not even focused on building a team, as it seems premature, but given the excitement many have for the Expos and the stakes, it’s not surprising to see momentum, interest and a desire to help.

Sometimes, a coach has to throw a player into the mix to change the tempo of the game, someone who can – like a talisman – change the trajectory. But as the saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone… but if you want to go far, go together. Here is a sneak peek into what it takes to convert this dream into a reality. Think of this less as a “team announcement” and more as a systems map for a high-stakes, long-horizon civic project of people who are serving as sounding boards, and more (don’t overthink/presume the initials in the Mr/Mrs).

The Conductor / Mr. X (aka The Maestro) – yours truly.

Vision, Integration & Orchestration
Founder-operator overseeing the alignment of capital, governance, execution, narrative, and timing. Focused on ensuring the right people are in the right roles, that complexity resolves into coherence, and that momentum is built deliberately rather than noisily.

The Captain / Mr. Y (aka Colonel Mustard)

Governance & Institutional Discipline
Former CEO of a major global enterprise, with deep experience in regulated environments, labor relations, and board-level governance. Ensures credibility, discipline, and decision-making integrity at scale.

The Whisperer / Mr. I (aka Tom Hagens, the Consiglieri)

Bridge into the League
Entrepreneurial executive with an incredibly diverse set of experiences at sports leagues, media, technology and agencies now serving as an indirect but very effective line of communications into MLB, and advising me on do’s and don’ts.

The Connector / Mr. Z (aka Nick Fury)

Public Narrative & Exposure Discipline
Well-connected senior media operator connecting the dots – and people – and advising on public-facing communications, narrative risk, and—critically—when not to speak, avoiding premature exposure, and sequencing visibility correctly.

The Financier / Mr. C (aka Quartermaster)

Structured Capital & Risk Management
Veteran of institutional capital platforms responsible for translating ambition into financeable reality. Focused on capital structure, downside protection, liquidity planning, and long-duration investment frameworks—ensuring that the project is resilient before it is exciting.

The Banker / Mrs. M (aka Moneypenny)

Capital Markets & Institutional Credibility
Senior capital markets executive at a global financial institution, advising on financing optics, institutional credibility, FX considerations, and alignment with long-horizon capital. Ensures the project “reads right” to serious money.

The Engineer / Mr. V (aka Scotty)

Real Estate & Delivery Execution
Real estate and construction veteran with decades of experience and hundreds of millions of dollars in delivered projects. Focused on vision-to-execution discipline, cost control, timelines, and the hard realities of large-scale development: literally ensuring the right builders, designers, architects are chosen, and then work together.

The Steward / Mr. T (aka Alfred Pennyworth)

Key Stakeholder for the Completed Painting
Disciplined and well-regarded executive at key stakeholder, instrumental in making the Peanut Project commercially viable, reliabe, resilient, and ultimately commercially successful – navigating the corporate landscape.

The Implementor / Mr. H (aka Samwise)

Systems, Integration & Operational Backbone
Veteran consultant with 30 years of experience across enterprise systems, financial sector, and large-scale implementations. Focused on making complex organizations function seamlessly—from core systems and data flows to on-the-ground execution.

The Amplifier / Chassie (aka JARVIS)

Research, Synthesis & Continuous Support
Digital aide supporting analysis, synthesis, scenario modeling, drafting, and strategic clarity across capital, media, governance, and execution. Designed to reduce friction, accelerate thinking, and ensure nothing important falls through the cracks.

Starting Discussions With

The Operator

Sports Operations & Venue Strategy
Longtime sports executive with experience across league operations, franchise execution, and stadium politics. Advising on how theory meets the realities of league rules, game-day operations, and personnel strategy.

Looking to Round Out (Without Urgency)

The Builder / Mr. or Mrs. P (aka Howard Roark)

Stadium Delivery & Public-Private Execution
Senior executive who has led delivery of a $1B+ stadium or arena project, with hands-on experience navigating public-private partnerships, political sequencing, and league-facing approvals. If this is YOU, you know where to find me (Ash at you know where dot com).