Brand Ambassador

After a tumultuous year, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank is newly resolved to see his company——and city——thrive.

- Mike Unger

KEVIN PLANK HAS A TELESCOPE in his office aimed not at the heavens, but at a hotel. From his suite on the fourth floor of the Cascade Building at Under Armour’s Tide Point headquarters, Baltimore’s sportiest billionaire can gaze across the water to the Sagamore Pendry, the Fells Point luxury hotel he opened in March.

Dripping with symbolism, the instrument was a gift from the property’s general manager, who already knows what everyone who works for Plank will discover soon enough: The boss will be watching.

Not that Plank is a micromanager—he didn’t pick out carpet or trim for the guest rooms. But he knows that his employees are among the most public faces of his brands, and to Plank, brand is king. He focuses on his businesses’ reputations with the precision of a Jordan Spieth putt.

Plank’s never been a reticent or reclusive CEO, but he’s far more comfortable discussing the company he famously dreamed up while an undersized, overachieving football player at the University of Maryland than he is talking about himself. That’s one reason these are trying times for him both professionally and personally.

If he had his druthers, he’d want people discussing his many projects, both philanthropic and for-profit, in his beloved hometown. Instead, throughout a tumultuous year in which Under Armour’s sales were sluggish, its stock price slumped, and his awkward foray into national politics—whether intentional or not—backfired, he’s found himself in the media spotlight. The glare has been harsh.