Alumni in Action - Matt Salata '04
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Matt Salata '04
University Heights, OH
Profession: VP of Business Development & Premium Sales at the Phoenix Suns
Favorite Teachers: Fr. Styles and Fr. Guiao ‘82
“Fr. Styles always had my back and took the time to support me from a personal and educational standpoint. Fr. Guiao has always been a huge influence on me and my faith.”
Student Activities: Basketball, Lacrosse, SADD (Students Against Destructive Disorders), The Eye, and Labre Homeless Ministry
Time as a Student
Matt credits “the people” he met to why he had such an enjoyable experience at Saint Ignatius. He is still close with his friends, classmates, and teachers even now being 1,750 miles away and 20 years since his time spent at W. 30th & Lorain. When asked what do you think makes Saint Ignatius great, he responded “It comes down to the relationships and the people who have become family.” The support of the Saint Ignatius community was apparent to Matt when his father, Dr. Robert Salata, passed away in August of 2024.
Professional Career
It was a long road before Matt landed to where he is today. After graduating from Saint Louis University Matt knew he wanted to be in the sports world. He worked for St. Louis ESPN Radio and had goals to become a play-by-play announcer for college basketball. After working for ESPN, he took a job as a sales rep at Fortitude Systems, LLC., a Washington, DC company founded by two Saint Ignatius Alumni. He worked there for two years developing relationship building skills and learning how to provide value to any organization. This proved to be a great learning experience for Matt as he continued to pursue his passion for working within sports. Leveraging the Ignatius Alumni Network he accepted a job with the St. Louis Rams, “and the rest was history”. Matt has gone on to work in several professional sports organizations including the Atlanta Falcons, New Jersey Devils, the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, who he has worked for over the last 8 years. Matt notes about the industry “being passionate about your product makes sales much easier.
Matt’s goals include striving for an executive level position for a professional sports team and is excited about continuing to grow the WNBA through innovation and development of premium products.
Advice to Current Students
“Be proactive, build a true and genuine relationship. It’s not always about an immediate ask or give. You never know who knows someone else.