A LOCAL HOME RUN

Hens stadium; the Huntington Center, the Toledo Walleye arena; and Hensville, the three historic buildings and park space by the stadium in downtown Toledo.

Though his intention to do a good job and not focus on his legacy comes from a place of humility, there is no doubt that Napoli’s work as President and CEO of the Mud Hens and Walleye organizations, and his resulting general involvement in the betterment of Toledo has secured a fond place for him in the community’s collective heart.

Napoli didn’t start out as a sports franchise executive. After growing up in Brooklyn, Napoli attended New York’s St. John’s University and joined Manufacturers Hanover Trust, beginning a career in banking.

Three years into his job, Joe realized that his banking career would likely not lead to the life he imagined for himself. That realization prompted him to read Richard Nelson Bolles’ book, “What Color is Your Parachute,” and he began evaluating the way his passions and hobbies intersected with his career.

“I started to check off all the boxes and kept coming back to my love affair with sports, and of people, and the ability to tie all that together, as well as making a difference in your

“Those were labors of love,” Napoli said. “We went and kicked the tires at a bunch of ballparks around the country. What we learned was, some of them were extremely well done. The ones that were well done really listened closely to the community and business leaders, but mostly to fans. When we were designing Fifth Third Field, the whole idea behind that was to capture as much of what the fans desired in a unique, interesting, special place to visit on a regular basis. So Fifth Third Field is really a reflection of all of that community input. We did the same thing with Huntington Center, and then did the same thing with Hensville.”

For Napoli, nearly every project he takes on is a labor of love. Outside of his efforts with local sports, Napoli is very involved in other aspects of the community with the Toledo Museum of Art, the Toledo Symphony, Destination Toledo and more. Though giving back to the community is a huge part of Napoli’s personal and professional mission, the true reason he loves Toledo is because of his work/life balance.

Having a healthy work/life balance is something that Napoli encourages the staff of the Mud Hens and the ville on very different terms,” Napoli said. “Maybe they are passionate sports fans, maybe they’re not. Maybe this is just a fun night out with the grandkids. Maybe it’s about the grandkids getting the large bucket of popcorn, and maybe it’s about grandma being a baseball fan. It runs the gamut.”

Napoli’s labors of love bleed through to the Mud Hens and Walleye fans, his family and the community as a whole – and he credits a lot of his success to the Toledo area. “That’s the beauty of Toledo: you can do it all,” Napoli said. “You can work a full day and then run home and be at (family events like) the softball games, or the volleyball games or the theater group or speech and debate, and that’s the beauty of it.”

What is the last book that you read or one that you’re reading right now? I love reading, so for fun it’s “Jack Reacher” and “Lee Child” and “Harry Bosch.”

What are some hobbies you have outside of work? I love to bike ride on the trails, off the trails. I love to write, and really spend a lot of time with my family.

Is there any fictional character that you identify with? The two characters I enjoy the most, Jack Reacher and Harry Bosch, there are qualities of both of them that I feel like are part of my personality, but I’m not 6”6, 280 pounds of muscle.

What are the qualities that you value professionally and personally? If you’re passionate, compassionate, empathetic, smart, creative. Mistakes are not an issue –the more the better.

Outside of the teams that you’re involved with, what sports team(s) do you root for? I would say working for the Chicago Bulls, I still root for them. Fans of the Tigers and the Red Wings, not only because they’re affiliates, but we’ve grown so accustomed to being a feeder organization.

What music are you listening to right now? I love Spotify from the perspective that you get to sample all these different genres of music. So I’m constantly listening to different stuff. As of late, I’ve been on a John Hiatt kick.

If you could give your childhood self any piece of advice or encouragement, what would you say? You never stop learning no matter your stage in life, and not to be so stubborn.