His business used to be conducted from behind the doors of the 17th century Manor house, where Pete Winkelman ran his residential recording studio. And it was there, the best part of two decades ago that I first met his acquaintance.
A-list musicians used to flock to a sleepy corner of Milton Keynes to make use of his fabulous facilities when he moved here in the 1990s, writes Sammy Jones.
But bands have long been replaced by footballers – it's out with the Jamiroquai's of the music world and in with the football pitches of the championship league, if you will.
Great Linford Manor - Favoured by musicians during its time as a recording studio, it produced No1 records, and a Mercury Prize winner
But whether working in music or football, Pete Winkelman gets stuck in.
He's a visionary.
And the man who secured top flight football for Milton Keynes, and then built the beautiful stadium for the beautiful game, says teamwork is the key to success.
“I think I was a great cheerleader, and the other thing I realised I do well is spotting good people,” he says as we talk at the Doubletree Hotel, a hop and a skip away from the stadium.
“When I look back in my life, that is a common theme – I always find good people to work with,” he says.
“When you get a lot of people together in one place with a common cause, lots of things can happen.
“But I don't underestimate the incredible power of Milton Keynes either.
“It is a special place, I do love it and now think of myself as very much from Milton Keynes as opposed to anywhere else in the country.
Pete, pictured with journalist Sammy Jones
But you have to wonder where Milton Keynes might be now, were it not for Pete's son Bobby developing a love of footie at school, as so many youngsters do.
While ferrying Bobby to matches and seeing a lack of facilities and promise for football in MK, the seeds were first sown and Pete nurtured his football dream.
“Right at the start of the journey I said to Cllr Kevin Wilson 'Why are you supporting this?' and he said 'Because if you close your eyes, in 20 years time there is football in MK and probably a nice stadium to go with it... and how does it get here? You might just be the one,'” Pete recalls.
“He had no idea whether I would be or wouldn't be the one, but he absolutely knew it had to happen - because for a city to develop its own culture and have its own heart and soul almost, you need professional sport, and a community cohesion.
"All these elements that anyone else takes for granted.
“We didn't have it in MK, so we came together to make it happen.”
And with hard work, storms weathered, battles won and a blatant disregard for the word 'No,' dreams became realities.
“To give me credit, I never gave up,” he reflects.
“I say in a lot of my speeches how important that big word perseverance is, but it is.
“There are loads of times when you think 'Is it worth it?' and 'Can I be bothered?'
“Like during the whole football club move,” he gives as an example, “....God knows how we got through that when you look back...and I was building the stadium during a recession – the recession hit just after phase one was completed.
“When MK1 started being built in 2011 it was the only retail scheme in the country being built. The only one...”
Brothers in sound: Pete with Mick Hughes and Gary Garner
But Pete's hard work has announced us as serious players on the sporting field, and shaped the way thousands of us spend our leisure time – 'Don-ning the shirts,' wrapping up against the chills and heading out to cheer on our beloved MK Dons.
It has become part of our fabric during the past 10 years or so.
But our man with the vision still has lots on his check-list.
“That's what keeps me going – we are only half way through the journey of the football," he explains.
“I still have lots of things that I coulda, woulda, shoulda done.. but I am very focused on my own plans with the training ground at the moment.
“That's probably the biggest mistake I've made – staff and players aren't supposed to go to work at the stadium, they are supposed to go to work at the training ground.
“And the story of MK is only half way through too. Milton Keynes has grown up – it is an attractive young person now, but is it going to become important? That's the challenge...”
Of course Pete insists it is important, and will take his thoughts and visions to the MK Futures 2050 Commission soon, when it examines how to make our great city greater.
“I go there understanding what it was that bought me to MK,” Pete tells me.
“And I think I share that dream of an opportunity for a new start, a new family and some green spaces with the 200,000 others who live here...”
Pete has achieved remarkable feats and changed the MK landscape, literally.
But nothing comes easily, and Pete is a worrier.
“I'm a born worrier,” he admits, “...and this year its quite obvious what I am worried about, because I don't want to get relegated.
“It has been so hard to get to the championship. Karl (Robinson, MK Dons manager) said it will be like winning promotion again to stay in the championship and I think he's right.
“It is a bigger step up than we realised. I think it is going to be a really hard season, but we have got a great manager, really good staff, a lovely bunch of players and a really nice team that all support each other. They are all up for the battle and all want to keep trying to play their football.
“We want to do it the MK way and have a style and a way that we play. "When we look across and see our superstars playing for England, like Dele Alli, that makes it all worthwhile.
Dele Alli: A new star is born
“That's exactly what I said we'd got – England quality talent going to waste in MK and it doesn't get better than Dele, and Brendan Galloway playing week in week out at Everton.”
A few days before Dele put the ball into the back of the net at that now famous France/England friendly, all eyes were on Pete when a packed out Council Chamber watched him receive the Freedom of the Borough.
He became only the fifth recipient – following in the footsteps of The Lord Campbell of Eskan, Jim Marshall OBE, Dame Cleo Laine and the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team.
“I was very proud and very humbled, but it was very much about other people achieving as much as me,” he says.
“But it means a lot because Jim Marshall got it and he was such an inspiration to me.
“When I was starting the football it was so controversial and we didn't know if we were going to get any support.
“I said to Jim 'If you could be seen to be supportive, that tells people it is ok to support us.'
“I said 'I don't care what you do - have some tickets, buy a box, be a sponsor,' anything, but typical Jim, he took the most expensive option and became the main sponsor.
“The greatest MK Dons shirt ever will always be that first Marshall shirt. That's why I am proud to have my Marshall phone on me now...” he says, gesturing to a rather fabulous mobile courtesy of the Amplification giant, that is every bit as cool as those early Dons shirts.
As if on cue, it lets out a guitar riff and a half. It's a rock n roll alert for the most rock n roll chairman in the game.
And Pete is now able to walk sheep down Midsummer Boulevard at his leisure too, thanks to that Freedom of the Borough.
It's not as woolly an idea as it sounds either – Pete knows 'sheep people' and the opportunity is being looked into.
“But the one I like the best is if I got really drunk one night, instead of sending me off to the Police Station, I would be put in a cab and sent home!” he says, replacing that vision of our interviewee escorting a flock through the heart of town, with one of a sozzled chairman.
“As I don't drink it's probably not that likely, but it gives me great confidence in case I ever do!”
© Sammy Jones Press
