Name: Derek Lochbaum
Title/Department: Executive Director of Trademarks and Licensing
F&O start date: August 2004
Years at Carolina: 19
Professional background: Before arriving in Chapel Hill, I served as the manager of trademark licensing at The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to that, I was the director of tourism for Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, home to the Little League World Series, and I worked with students and student-athletes as an academic advisor at Georgia State University. I was also an event coordinator for ProServ, where I provided expertise to numerous sporting events around the country, including tour events for the Association of Volleyball Professionals, the Association of Tennis Professionals, and the Davis Cup.
Education: I have a Bachelor of Science in business management from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Science in education, with a concentration in sports administration, from Georgia State University.
What does your job entail: It starts with the protection and preservation of the University’s names, logos, landmarks and other distinctive assets. This allows us to promote the University through the licensing of these trademarks in order to generate revenue that supports the educational goals of the University and its students. All net revenue from the trademark licensing program is directed to need and merit-based scholarships at Carolina. My office licenses the companies that produce items bearing our marks, including the review of every product and every design, and we review as many as 15,000 individual pieces of art a year. We also provide support to the retailers that sell these items and engage and offer guidance to internal University partners to assist them with the proper use of Carolina’s trademarks.
What is exciting you about your job right now: We have now entered March Madness, which is an exciting time. With my job, however, every day can be interesting because something new is always coming through the door. The implementation of name, image and likeness has certainly brought change to the collegiate licensing industry. Like with most industries, we have also seen a great deal of consolidation among manufacturers and retailers, which is rapidly changing the market.
What is something we may not know about you: Over the last five years I have become an enthusiastic runner. I serve as a pace group leader with a local marathon and half marathon training organization. I focus on the half marathon distance and ran my latest half marathon on St. Patrick’s Day. Running is a family activity, and I enjoy running with my wife and son along the local greenways and trails, as well as entering local races together.