St. Lawrence Gives You The Best Of Everything

Josh Feine '04 was a junior at the Nichols School in Buffalo and was in the midst of making one of the most important decisions of his life — where he would go to college — when his father passed away.

"Losing my father was a massive loss in my life," says Feine. "My dad lived life with passion, love, laughter, competitiveness, drive, strength and a contagious love for his family and friends. He was always there for an ear to talk to, a hand to grab hold of or a hug to embrace you."

After losing his father, he wanted to stay close enough to home to allow his mother to still attend his games every weekend.

"One of my best friends played hockey at St. Lawrence and I went up for a visit and immediately fell in love with the school and the campus," says Feine. “I had a number of opportunities to play hockey or lacrosse that were further away, but loved the small feel, the comradery, the campus and (Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Mike) Mahoney.”

"I needed the smaller class size, I needed the closeness and the familial feel," continues Feine. "All those things coupled with the outside pieces that were happening personally, it was the perfect fit for me and I wouldn't have changed it for the world."

An economics and English double major, Feine was a major contributor to the Saints' men's lacrosse offense, scoring 132 goals, good for a tie for sixth on the Saints' all-time list, with 189 career points, which ranks 11th.

"St. Lawrence is one of those schools that allows you to be very individualistic and showcase a lot of yourself, but also be there to lend a hand or guidance," says Feine, "Coach Mahoney was always caring, passionate, smart, energetic and thoughtful. He was a player's coach, he had a way of being tough on us, but always held a very calm and cool demeanor. Having gone through the loss of my dad before college, he was a tremendous help and to this day, a mentor and friend."

After graduating, Feine had stints in the banking industry in both Buffalo and Manhattan, before he eventually made his way back to his home town of Buffalo as a commercial lender with HSBC. However, he soon realized that he wanted to get back to his roots in sports.

"There's nothing like sports to create and teach life lessons," he says. "Even through the struggles now with COVID-19 or certain times throughout your career, you go back and reflect on moments in your playing career that helped you get through things, and those moments define who you are as a person."

Feine worked as the director of business development for the Buffalo Bills for six seasons. Between his fifth and sixth season, the Pegula family bought the Bills and he began working for Pegula Sports and Entertainment, handling sponsorship sales and business development for the Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bandits (NLL), Nashville's Black River Entertainment, as well as restaurants and other entertainment ventures. 

Four years ago, Feine was talking with his childhood friend Chris Koch, the owner of New Era Cap, when Koch asked him if he wanted to run their sports marketing division. Feine now works as the company's Vice President of Sports Marketing and Corporate Partnerships.

In a typical year, Feine is on the road about 150 nights a year, traveling to different venues and clubs and managing 60 sponsorships and partnerships across the country. He also works in business development, looking for new opportunities, partnerships and licenses.

"Every day is different," says Feine "We're out cutting deals, renegotiating deals, negotiating new opportunities, finding new sources of revenue and new partnerships. Every day is exciting, it is different from the last and I get to work in an industry that I am passionate about.

"As I look back (on my time at St. Lawrence), I have amazing lifelong friends, played in fantastic league with great competition, was in a place with such comradery and a familial feel that you just can't replicate," says Feine. “Small liberal arts schools are so amazing because you get such economic and social diversity; it gives you the best of everything and a true college experience. And the alumni network at St. Lawrence is not something to take lightly for your future after college.

"I always look back and think 'Where else could I have gone, or what else could I have done?' and I've never said I made the wrong decision, St. Lawrence was the best place for me and it still continues to be."

This is the latest in a series of Alumni Spotlight features on SaintsAthletics.com. If you are interested in being featured, please fill out our alumni spotlight questionnaire.