A Baseball Community Names Leadership Team
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sept. 4, 2008) – Jeff Lyash, chairman of A Baseball Community (ABC) announced today the members of the Leadership Team.
The goal was to assemble a strong group of community leaders who represent a diverse and inclusive set of perspectives and experiences. Selection involved: identifying candidates through self-nomination (mail and web site); nominations by the principal stakeholders: Pinellas County, the city of St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay Partnership, and the Rays; and input and nominations by the public-at-large.
“With more than 300 submissions, it was a challenge to select the members of the team. Each nominee brought something special to the table, and each showed a desire to make a difference,” stated Lyash. “I believe that we have assembled a diverse, talented group of individuals who will work hard to make the best decisions for our community. I am privileged to be a part of this dynamic leadership team.”
The following individuals were selected to be the ABC Leadership Team:
· Alan Bomstein, President, Creative Contractors, Inc. Bomstein will serve as Secretary and Treasurer
· Ricardo “Rick” Davis, President of Bay Area Medical Supplies, Inc.
· Barbara Heck, President of CONA (Council of Neighborhood Associations, South Pinellas)
· Gregory Johnson, President and CEO, Pinellas County Urban League
· Russ Kimball,Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sheraton Sand Key Resort
· Judy Mitchell, President CEO, Peter Brown Construction. Mitchell will serve as Committee Co-chair and ABC Spokesperson
· Steve Raymund, Chairman of the Board, Tech Data
· Craig Sher, President and CEO, The Sembler Company
· Bob Stewart, Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners
· Chuck Sykes,President and CEO, Sykes Corporation
Nomination criteria included personal (integrity, motivation, objective, creative, solutions-oriented), professional (proven leadership, distinguished records, community recognition, community leadership), community representation (long-term, dedicated service) and diversity (geographic, ethnic, community, experience).
Every person who submitted an application will be given an opportunity to participate in ABC’s efforts and receive ongoing communication updates. One of the first things The Leadership Team will do is form three initial Community Involvement Groups to broaden the span of community involvement in the overall process. “These groups will be critical in our efforts to seek and analyze information, understand issues, and provide input on specific issues related to the ABC mission,” said Judy Mitchell, ABC spokesperson.
The three initial Community Involvement Groups will be:
· Fan Support and Involvement, chaired by Barbara Heck. The mission of this group is to identify, develop, and evaluate opportunities to increase the level of fan support and facilitate public involvement.
· Corporate Support, chaired by Chuck Sykes and co-chaired by Joe Bourdow, President, Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. The mission of this group is to identify, develop, and evaluate opportunities to increase the level of corporate support.
· Stadium Options, chaired by Craig Sher and co-chaired by Tony Satterfield, General Manager, Alden Beach Resort. The mission of this group is to identify, develop and evaluate ballpark options.
In addition to the selected members of the leadership team, a representative from each of the four principal stakeholders will serve as a non-voting member. In this role, they will be the liaison from the leadership team to their organization to ensure all information is communicated in a timely, transparent and consistent manner. In addition, because each group brings a distinct value to ABC, each of the stakeholder representatives will be utilized as a key resource. They are:
· Michael Kalt, Tampa Bay Rays, Senior Vice-President of Development
· Mike Meidel, Pinellas County, Director of Economic Development
· Rick Mussett, city of St. Petersburg, Economic Development Administrator
· Stu Rogel, Tampa Bay Partnership, President and CEO
To ensure the community is informed on ABC’s progress, please visit the web site at www.abc-baseball.com.
A Baseball Community will serve as a communitywide effort to identify what it will take to ensure major league baseball here is vital, viable and successful long-term. All contributing members fully share in this fundamental proposition. While the mission may expand over time, the initial charge is to focus on three areas deemed critical to ANY professional franchise’s success: Identifying, broadening, and engaging fan support; reaching out, locally and regionally, to enhance corporate and community support, both in involvement and sponsorships; and Identifying and assessing possible new stadium locations, re-design, financing, and development leading to recommendation to the principal stakeholder group.
For more information, contact ABC Spokesperson, Judy Mitchell at 535-6407.
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