“Know and rely on your strengths, and that feeling in the pit of your stomach to guide you forward. It knows you well.”
– Tammy Sweeney, CEO
Tammy Sweeney, CEO of TCU Place, stands as a testament to commitment, excellence, and leadership with an age-old inclination toward leadership. From a 16-year-old girl working at McDonald’s as a Crew Trainer and Shift Manager to a 17-year-old writing a paper to claim that happier employees were more productive, Tammy’s career path in leadership was set at a very young age.
With her extensive educational background, from pursuing a Degree in Psychology, with 2 minors – one in Arts administration and one in Speech Communication – to a Human Resource certification, and a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Tammy acquired a tapestry of knowledge that shaped her leadership skills in many ways. After pursuing her certification in human resources, she was promoted to her first Director role as Director of Employee Programs in Niagara Casinos, a 4,500-person organization. Since then, there has been no looking back for Tammy as one of the most inspiring women leaders of the time.
Reaching for the Stars
After joining as an HR Director at a new convention center built in Niagara Falls, Tammy pushed her boundaries to become a leader outside of HR. The path from HR to becoming a CEO was not easy in the hospitality or venue leadership world, and she was missing a sales component on her resume. To fill in the gaps, Tammy joined a small firm in Toronto as the VP of Program Development, allowing her to develop sales expertise. In this context, Tammy shares, “I used data to help leaders build strategy to move the team or organization forward.”
After developing sales and c-suite experience, she again leaped and returned to the industry that has inspired her, Venue and Events Management, managing an Arena in small town Alberta. In the post-pandemic era, she landed at TCU Place as the Chief Executive Officer, a convention center and performing arts center in Saskatoon, Canada.
With a strong team and a supportive board, the company showcased excellent pandemic recovery under Tammy’s leadership. At present, the company has an employee retention rate and employee engagement rate of over 90% and 94%.
Aligning Personal Values with the Organizational Mission
Tammy is fundamentally motivated by two things: 1) a team of employees who are thriving, happy, successful, and bravely moving forward in unknown territory, and 2) working in a purpose-driven role that makes our community stronger. TCU Place exists to bring events and people into the community, that ultimately help every other business in Saskatoon to thrive. TCU Place is a strong driver of economic impact, cultural and social impact, where programming is strategically aligned to meet community needs. This alignment of community and cultural impact means that Tammy’s values are the perfect match for her current role.
She has worked with the team to create a compelling strategic plan in 2020 and again in 2025, that emphasizes community impact at its core.
A Leadership Backed by a Musical Background
When Tammy is not working, she can be found on the stage at TCU Place, singing with the Fireside Singers, a cherished choral group in Saskatoon. The creative outlet through music is key for many reasons – stress relief, community engagement, and taxing all parts of the brain. Tammy likes taking a supporting role in Fireside as part of the ensemble – not a solo role. To Tammy, it’s important to take a non-lead role sometimes, and let others shine, while still playing an important part in helping the audience to enjoy the experience. “As a leader, sometimes supporting others in a leading role is the best form of leadership” adds Tammy.
In Pursuit of Excellence
As TCU Place won the NSBA Business Builder Awards for the category of Pursuit of Excellence, Tammy takes a moment to share how her team earned this recognition. Her team weaves excellence into their conversation, systems, processes, process improvement, and idea generation. They serve the community with heart and passion. It has been a long road back from the pandemic, and the company has challenged every policy, system, and practice. They thrive on delivering hospitality to guests and being THE place in Saskatoon where guests gather as part of the community.
Tammy feels proud to share the many great things the company is doing with the community. While the Economic Impact of over $40 Million per year is compelling on its own, it is also important to be recognized as a welcoming place for all, a place to celebrate, connect, and learn together. A place that is nostalgic for many in the community and poised to continue being the heart of the community for future generations.
The Leadership Ontology
Below are some of the leadership philosophies that Tammy Sweeney practices personally and helps develop in others:
- a. The greatest role a leader can play is to develop other leaders around them.
- b. As a leader, surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
- c. Lead with your strengths, and allow others to lead with theirs.
- d. Be curious.
- e. Feel. Be human.
- f. Get outside of your office and building. Check in on the team. Be visible.
- g. Be of service first.
- h. Never stop learning.
- i. Make time in your day for white space.
- j. The bottom line is not just about financials – there is a balance – people, profits, and purpose.
Truth and Reconciliation Efforts
Tammy is leading the reconciliation efforts at TCU Place and is committed to developing and sustaining positive relationships with local Indigenous people and communities. The foundation of these efforts is to build and sustain positive relationships with Indigenous communities Nationally and within the Province of Saskatchewan where they operate. Their efforts and actions will mutually benefit TCU Place and Indigenous peoples and their businesses in terms of opportunity growth – unlocking greater employment and business potential for Indigenous organizations and employees.
Challenges that Shaped the Leadership
Tammy is results-oriented, with a fierce independent streak, which has shaped her leadership through the years. While she is an accomplished and recognized thought leader, a seasoned speaker and trainer in the field of leadership and has successfully led a variety of teams and organizations, she still sometimes struggles with ‘Imposter Syndrome’, questioning her own value and pushing her boundaries. This tension of driving for results, and the desire to deliver more, keeps Tammy learning and growing in her field. It also reinforces the need to practice acceptance and belief in self, a continual work in progress.
Reaffirming Passion for Leadership
Throughout many of her roles, Tammy has learned that role and title don’t mean anything unless it is part of something bigger. While at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre, she learned that she could step out of Human Resources, and into the full organization and community, which reinforced the connection between leading a business and leading in a community. This was the key inspirational moment for Tammy and pushed her to always keep the world outside the organization top of mind at every step. If the organization serves the community, then half of the end goal is realized. If you have a strong team, and strong operational success, that is the other side. Both need to co-exist.
