7 Questions With

Peter Luukko

He is recognized as a leader in the field of facility management. His day-to-day responsibilities include some of Philadelphia’s most famous icons, including the Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center. He begins most days with a brisk game of ice hockey at the break of dawn and finishes off the day late at night at a hockey or basketball game or maybe a concert. In between, as chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor and chairman of Global Spectrum, he’s intimately involved with some of the biggest sports and entertainment around the world. And in summers since 1994, he has called the Seven Mile Beach his second home. Hopefully, after Seven Questions you’ll know even more about Avalon’s Peter Luukko.

1.       7MT: You’ve obviously seen thousands of events throughout your career. What’s the one event that sticks out in your mind and still makes you say “Wow”?    PL: USA vs. Canada World Cup in 1996. It was the first major event at the newly opened CoreStates Center. It was an awesome event and to have the whole world watching … But the very special part was John LeClair scoring that first goal for USA and it happened at the CoreStates Center, which is now the Wells Fargo Center. To have a Flyer score that first goal was pretty special.

2.      7MT: A lazy summer day – how do you end up spending the perfect day at the Shore?  PL: Get up, grab a cup of tea, read the paper, go work out at the gym, grab a bite to eat, spend the afternoon at the pool with friends and family, then at night go out to dinner.

3.       7MT: Are you a beach, bay, boat or pool person? PL: I was a boat person for about a year, but could never find the time to spend on the boat. I’ve been a beach person for over 20 years, then Casey and I put a pool in at our house and I remember Paul Holmgren [who also has a pool] telling me that you will never go to the beach once you have a pool. I laughed and told him, “No way!” This past summer, I’ve been to the beach once.

4.       7MT: What’s the best-kept secret on the Seven Mile Beach?  PL: Well, it’s not actually a secret, but our family ritual is Circle Pizza on Friday night, Via Mare or Fuze on Saturday night and the Concord on Sunday.

5.       7MT: OK, they’re all your favorite players – but is there one who’s really your all-time favorite? PL: Bob Clarke. I grew up in the Boston area and couldn’t stand the Flyers, and particularly Bob Clarke. Bob is 10 years older than me. I found myself trying to emulate his style in the faceoff circle. I found that I appreciated his style and how hard he worked. I put my hand close to the blade like he did. I adopted his style of taking draws by watching him on TV. I found myself wanting to play hockey like Bob Clarke. And as we began to work together and I had more responsibility with the Flyers, I learned so much from him. I truly appreciate his wisdom, insight and his hockey knowledge which is second to none.

6.       7MT: So what will we find playing on your car radio? PL: Classic rock. My favorites are the Rolling Stones and the Doors. I like to play the radio loud and even my kids tell me to turn it down.

7.       7MT: When did you first come to Avalon? PL: It was in 1994, after moving back to Philadelphia from Los Angeles. Growing up in the Boston area, I used to hang in Cape Cod. There is no place on earth like Avalon. My kids have grown up spending their summers here and it’s a very special place for me and my family.