Our Team
Lee Warner
AEP, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
As Chairman, Mr. Warner provides corporate leadership to the organization for company expansion, strategic alliance relationship development, contractual negotiations, and financial controls.
Mr. Warner has specialized in comprehensive financial consulting for affluent individuals, public and privately held companies since 1977, with a specific focus on creative estate tax planning, executive benefit and compensation design.
As Chairman, Mr. Warner provides corporate leadership to the organization for company expansion, strategic alliance relationship development, contractual negotiations, and financial controls.
Mr. Warner has specialized in comprehensive financial consulting for affluent individuals, public and privately held companies since 1977, with a specific focus on creative estate tax planning, executive benefit and compensation design.
Mr. Warner has been frequently quoted in national print and has spoken locally on radio and television. He also speaks nationally on various aspects of financial planning, and is listed in the Who's Who Registry of Global Business Leaders, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in the East, and International Who's Who of Professionals.
He has served as President and member of the Board of Directors for both the Baltimore Association for Financial Planning and the Baltimore Estate Planning Council. Additionally, he served as the Legislative Affairs Chairman for The Baltimore Chapter of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. Nationally, he served as Chairman of the Executive Field Advisory Board for two major insurance companies and as a Board Member of the Practitioners Council for the International Association of Financial Planners.
Among his memberships, Mr. Warner lists the Financial Planning Association, The National Association of Life Underwriters, The Association for Advanced Life Underwriters, and Society of Financial Service Professionals. He is also a member of the Top Of The Table and the International Twenty-five Million Dollar Forum.
Mr. Warner serves as Chairman of The Carson Scholars Fund and formerly served as Chairman of AmericasBANK.
Mr. Warner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics from Western Maryland College, and has earned professional designations as an Accredited Estate Planner, Chartered Life Underwriter®, Chartered Financial Consultant®, and Certified Financial Planner®. He is a licensed insurance advisor with the State of Maryland and is a licensed insurance producer in many other states nationwide. He is also a registered representative with a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member firm.
Rick Oliver
President, Sports Management - MLBPA Certified Agent
Mr. Oliver works closely with all clients on contract negotiations, arbitration, as well as managing the overall operations of The Warner Companies Sports Management.
Rick played professionally as a third baseman for seven years and was a first round draft pick with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Mr. Oliver works closely with all clients on contract negotiations, arbitration, as well as managing the overall operations of The Warner Companies Sports Management.
Rick played professionally as a third baseman for seven years and was a first round draft pick with the Milwaukee Brewers. He also played for the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, having reached and played at the Triple-A level for two years before retiring.
Following his career as a professional baseball player, Rick worked with Shapiro, Robinson and Associates (SRA), which represented some of the highest profile players in baseball, including Cal Ripken Jr., Kirby Puckett, Eddie Murray, Dante Bichette, Dennis Martinez and Joe Mauer, among others. Several of these star players signed numerous multi-year contracts and went through the arbitration process many times.
During his 15 years with SRA, Rick worked with some of the first round draft choices including Trot Nixon (Boston Red Sox), Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins), Brian Anderson (Anaheim Angels), Jake Westbrook (Colorado Rockies), Sean Casey (Cleveland Indians), Scott Elarton (Colorado Rockies), Michael Tucker (Kansas City Royals), and Gavin Floyd (Philadelphia Phillies), among others. Rick was successful in identifying and recruiting some of the best college and high school players in the country.
Since joining The Warner Companies in 2006, Rick has excelled in exceeding standard signing bonus offers on behalf of our clients. He used his strong international ties to sign Seth Greisinger, a major league pitcher in Japan, to a huge two year contract worth $6.5 million. Seth has been one of the most productive pitchers to ever pitch in Japan. He also negotiated a $14 million multi-year guaranteed contract for Minnesota Twins starter, Nick Blackburn. Recently, he negotiated multi-million dollar contracts with teams in Japan and Korea for Brian Wolfe and Xavier Scruggs.
Rick works out of the Baltimore, MD office and resides in Timonium, MD. He is a MLBPA-certified baseball agent. Rick’s extensive experience as an agent and professional baseball player gives him a unique perspective to share with clients and contributes to client success on and off the field.
Joe Gaza
Managing Director - Baseball Operations, Sports Management
Mr. Gaza has served players as an MLBPA certified agent for over 12 years. Acting as Managing Director of The Warner Companies Sports Management team, Mr. Gaza’s contributions to the firm have been formed by a vast array of industry experiences,
Mr. Gaza has served players as an MLBPA certified agent for over 12 years. Acting as Managing Director of The Warner Companies Sports Management team, Mr. Gaza’s contributions to the firm have been formed by a vast array of industry experiences, as well as playing the game of baseball competitively himself. Mr. Gaza oversees the development of the Company’s overall business strategy and growth, while also spearheading the firm’s negotiation of player contracts, working with clients through the arbitration process and advising amateur athletes in the MLB Draft.
Mr. Gaza obtained his Master’s Degree in Business Management from North Central College in Naperville, IL, where he majored in Business Management with a specialization in Professional Conflict Resolution/ Negotiation. Mr. Gaza also played four years of collegiate baseball as a pitcher.
Prior to joining The Warner Companies, Mr. Gaza worked for the Octagon sports agency in Chicago and also founded the AllStarInc baseball agency. He has negotiated over $100 million in player contracts over the years, including brokering the largest guaranteed contract for an age 30+ pre-arbitration player in MLB history.
Mr. Gaza has a wealth of industry knowledge and takes great pride in his ability to maintain close relationships with the clients and families he represents. He brings specializations in MLB Draft advisement, contract negotiation, player/club relations, and off-field client service to TWC. Mr. Gaza resides outside of Chicago with his wife and three sons.
Jay Witasick
Vice President - MLBPA Certified Agent
Jay takes a proactive approach to the many issues that clients face on a daily basis with a focus on career guidance before, during and after their baseball careers.
Jay's professional baseball career spanned over 15 professional seasons
Jay takes a proactive approach to the many issues that clients face on a daily basis with a focus on career guidance before, during and after their baseball careers.
Jay's professional baseball career spanned over 15 professional seasons, including ten years in the Major Leagues as a right handed pitcher. The Houston Astros selected Jay in the 1991 MLB Free Agent Draft, but he decided to complete his education and further develop his baseball skills. In 1993, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Jay in the second round of the MLB Draft. After a few years in the Minor Leagues, Jay made his MLB debut on July 7, 1996 with the Oakland Athletics. In addition to having two stints each with the Athletics and the San Diego Padres, Jay played for the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He appeared in two World Series during his career.
After the 2007 MLB Season, Jay made the transition into sports management working for Beverly Hills Sports Council, recruiting some of the nation's current top players.
As a student in high school, Jay earned distinction in both baseball and football, and was among the first alumni to be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. He attended Brevard (FL) Community College and the University of Maryland Baltimore County on full academic and athletic scholarships, studying business management. Jay is active in local baseball programs and is an honorary board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County.
Josh Harwell
Player Agent - MLBPA Certified Agent
Josh brings a unique background and skill set to The Warner Companies team. Josh’s contributions to the firm include recruiting and further strengthening the Company’s presence in the Texas region. He also brings a wealth of experience from his time in the sports marketing industry.
Josh brings a unique background and skill set to The Warner Companies team. Josh’s contributions to the firm include recruiting and further strengthening the Company’s presence in the Texas region. He also brings a wealth of experience from his time in the sports marketing industry.
Josh is originally from the Chicagoland area and graduated with an Economics and Marketing degree from Western Illinois University, where he also played collegiate baseball. Coming from a family full of baseball players, the passion for the game is fully-engrained in Josh, and ultimately led him back to the game as a Player Agent. After college, he returned to his Texas Junior College roots and moved to Austin, Texas; where he resides currently.
Prior to joining The Warner Companies, Josh worked for Under Armour and also founded Witt Sports Agency. He brings deep connections within the Texas baseball scene, as well as scouting and endorsement experience. When he is not near a baseball diamond, you can find Josh bowhunting or fishing on the Gulf.
Erik Johnson
MLBPA Certified Agent
Mr. Johnson brings a wealth of knowledge to The Warner Companies Sports Management team with over 10 years of experience as an MLBPA-certified agent.
Mr. Johnson brings a wealth of knowledge to The Warner Companies Sports Management team with over 10 years of experience as an MLBPA-certified agent. At TWC, Mr. Johnson works closely with clients at all levels of contract negotiation, including free agency, arbitration and the draft.
Originally from Kansas City, Mr. Johnson attended college at Southwest Baptist University where he graduated summa cum laude with his degree in Sports Management/Business. While at SBU, Mr. Johnson participated in track and field where he garnered academic All-America honors for his work in the classroom and on the track.
Upon graduating, Mr. Johnson began working at an agency where he served as an MLBPA certified agent. During his time at the company, Erik gained valuable experience and eventually led negotiations at the Major League, draft and international levels including securing the largest overseas contract for a pitcher who had not yet pitched in the NPB. Erik was also highly influential in the negotiation of Hunter Dozier's recent $25 million contract extension with the Kansas City Royals.
Mr. Johnson lives with his wife, Taylor, and their two children just outside of Kansas City, MO.
Chris Bacon
Manager, Marketing & Client Services
Mr. Bacon is responsible for player marketing, including endorsement opportunities for clients as well as on-field equipment contracts. He has negotiated...
Mr. Bacon is responsible for player marketing, including endorsement opportunities for clients as well as on-field equipment contracts. He has negotiated and executed over $1 million in endorsement and marketing contracts for clients. In addition, Mr. Bacon oversees all client services and agency communication including responding to clients’ everyday needs, processing equipment orders and preparation of documents. He also provides assistance to The Warner Companies Sports Management team for contract arbitration and contract negotiation.
Prior to joining The Warner Companies, Mr. Bacon worked as a Marketing and Sales Assistant for Maryland Sports Properties, the marketing and multimedia rights partner for the University of Maryland Athletics. He was also a Business Management Intern for Ripken Baseball.
Mr. Bacon graduated cum laude from Xavier University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in Marketing, and a minor in Spanish.
Brayan Ruiz
Latin American Coordinator
Mr. Ruiz provides support to The Warner Companies Sports Management team, including responding to clients’ everyday needs, processing equipment orders and preparation
Mr. Ruiz provides support to The Warner Companies Sports Management team, including responding to clients’ everyday needs, processing equipment orders and preparation of documents. As the Latin American Coordinator, Mr. Ruiz assists our client’s international needs by working closely with the agents in order to place our clients internationally in Japan and Korea. Along with this, Mr. Ruiz also maintains relationships with Winter Ball team representatives in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Panama in order to provide our clients with Winter Ball contracts.
Prior to joining The Warner Companies, Mr. Ruiz served as an intern with the Baltimore Ravens Marketing Department for two (2) years where he supervised, promoted, and marketed various fan events. He also worked for Distinctive Edge-Marketing as an Account Representative where he worked closely with Latin consumers to enhance their understanding of products, while also organizing and distributing weekly sales numbers and goals for the department.
Mr. Ruiz is a graduate of Towson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management and a concentration in Business Administration.