MIKE BIRLING, General Manager, Durham Bulls - Durham, North Carolina
NORM: What do you love the most about your job?
BIRLING: I am very lucky to have the job I do. Most people only dream of having a job they absolutely love. In eighteen seasons, I have never looked at the clock saying, it is time to go home.
The best things are the everyday challenges. There is no boredom in this job.
Every day, a different department has something that needs to get solved, so I love working with each manager on coming up with solutions that will make the experience more memorable to our fans and our community.
GREG COLEMAN, President - Erie SeaWolves - Erie, Pennsylvania
NORM: What was your first job in baseball?
COLEMAN: I was the Director of Marketing and Media for the Daytona Cubs in 1998. My job entailed selling advertising and tickets, communicating with the press, press releases, pitching stories, placing advertising and coordinating promotions with our various media partners, community appearances with our mascot, designing the team’s yearbook and serving as the team’s PA announcer.
TED TORNOW, GM - Clinton Lumber Kings - Clinton, Iowa
NORM: What do you love the most about your job?
TORNOW: The interaction with the fans. Knowing that we put a smile on someones face, even if it was for a few hours out of their day.
MARK SEAMAN - GM - Hckory Crawdads - Hickory, North Carolina
NORM: What is the most outstanding memory you have working for the Crawdads?
SEAMAN: A handicapped boy with braces on both legs and walkers on both arms running around the bases after the game.
MARTIE J. CORDARO - Vice President/General Manager of the Omaha Stormchasers located in Omaha, Nebraska.
NORM: What was your first job working in baseball? How did you obtain that position and how did that job enable you to get to where you today?
CORDARO: I worked in marketing and promotions while finishing my Marketing degree at Louisiana Tech University in 1996. I visited with Randy Davis, the head coach at the time to see what opportunities were available.
That set me up in regard to running events and selling tickets, advertising and
additional inventories. My first year in MiLB was with the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (Double-A Southern League) in 1999 selling group and picnic tickets.
I was able to land that by going through the Professional Baseball Employment Opportunities program at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, TN.
DAVE ECHOLS General Manager - Charleston RiverDogs - Charleston, South Carolina - Southern Atlantic League.
NORM: What do you love the most about your job?
ECHOLS: The fact that our job is never the same. The fun, the challenges, the mistakes, they come at you each game, each month and each off-season. I love challenging myself to be better than the previous season and providing a quality entertainment option for our fans and being a productive community partner in Charleston and turning a profit for our owners.
MIKE NUTTER, President, GM Fort Wayne Tincaps - Fort Wayne, Indiana
:NORM: What are your responsibilities for the Tincaps?
NUTTER: Lots of stuff the fans never realize! It does not consist of anything in terms of the players on the field. Other than that, our staff is responsible for just about everything! We pick the game times, set ticket prices, concessions menus, promotions, etc. Our front office is responsible for the gate opening times, promotions, community involvement and just about everything other than who plays for the team and who the coaches and manager are.
ZACK BUREK, General Manger - Lakeland Flying Tigers - Lakeland, Florida
NORM: What was your first job in baseball?
BUREK:: My first job working in baseball was an internship with the Detroit Tigers Florida Operations in Lakeland, Florida. We run Detroit Tigers Spring Training, Lakeland Flying Tigers and the Tigertown complex. I was fortunate to obtain the internship through college at Southern New Hampshire University. I was able to get "real" business experience through the internship and learned ticket, sales, marketing and game-day skills that you can't learn in any text book.
NORM: What are your responsibilities?
BUREK :I am responsible for providing fans, our customers, affordable, family fun. Everything we do is centered on providing value back to fans. I oversee all the business activities of the club including ticket and group sales, sponsorships and partnerships, marketing, advertising and game-day operations. I also hire and train seasonal, part-time and game-day employees.
DAVE ROSENFIELD, General Manager - Norfolk Tides - Norfolk, Virginia
NORM: This year marks the fifty-sixth consecutive year you have been associated with a professional club. Is that a record of sorts?
ROSENFIELD: I do not know if it is a record but fifty years with one team, the Norfolk Tides is a lot. I arrived here in 1962.
NORM: What was your first job working in baseball?
ROSENFIELD: My first job in baseball in 1956 was with the class A Bakersfield Boosters, the worst name in baseball history. It was a brand new ownership and that was their Corporate name and that is what they called their team. I was their GM. I also coached third half the time and played a game or two. I was a catcher.
PETE LAVEN, General Manager - Arkansas Travelers - Little Rock, Arkansas Affiliate - Los Angeles Angels
NORM: What was your first job working in baseball?
LAVEN: Stadium Operations Intern for the Arkansas Travelers. I had recently graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1991 with a degree in Journalism. Towards the end of my college career I had gained more of an interest in advertising sales than writing / reporting via my experience at the school newspaper. However, advertising agencies in Chicago weren’t tripping over themselves to hire C students.
The summer of 1991 was also the inaugural season for the Kane County Cougars, at the time the Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, who had begun playing in Geneva, IL.
My dad was able to set up a meeting with then Cougars GM Bill Larsen. In our meeting he told me that the best way to break into minor league baseball was to attend the job fair at the upcoming Baseball Winter Meeting. That is what I did and landed a job as intern for the Travelers.
CAL BURLESON is the Vice President and General Manager for the Indianapolis Indians located in Indianapolis, Indiana. They have been an Affiliate of the Pittsburg Pirates since 2005.
NORM: Given the downturn in the economy, what are the Indians doing to not only hold the attendance but to increase it over last year?
BURLESON: We try to maintain a focus on our brand and mission. Our brand of baseball is up close and that means when you come to an Indians game, you are seated close to the action. You are seated close to family and friends and we are located very close to the most dynamic downtown in the country, Indianapolis.
Our mission is provide Indians baseball as affordable and memorable family fun so if we keep our focus on the fans and if we do that, we will come out in good shape.
KURT LANDES - General Manager -Lehigh Valley IronPigs - Allentown, Pennsylvania. Affiliate - Philadelphia Phillies.
NORM: What are your responsibilities for the IronPigs?
LANDES: I oversee the entire business operations of the franchise and facility (Coca-Cola Park). I guide and balance the club's relationships between the fans, clients, league, Minor League Baseball, the Phillies organization, full and part-time employees and ownership.
NORM: You were the International League’s 2010 Executive of the year for the 2nd consecutive year. How do you feel about this?
KURT: It was a tremendous honor, but a team honor accepted on behalf of our entire front office staff. I am always appreciative of our ownership and management team that allows our staff to operate in a first-class manner and dprovide resourses many teams do not have.
BRIAN SHALLCROSS - General Manager - Bowie Bay Sox Bowie, Maryland. Affiliate - Pittsburgh Pirates.
NORM: What are your responsibilities for the Bay Sox?
SHALLCROSS: My job is to put smiles on the faces of the fans who enter the ballpark and provide the best entertainment
value in our market. Also, aspects of player development, public relations, sales & marketing and providing a positive fan
experience.
JOHN SIMONE - General Manager - Syracuse Chiefs - Syracuse, New York. Affiliate - Washington Nationals.
NORM: What was your first job in baseball?
SIMONE: My first job at a baseball stadium was sweeping the stands after games. I was 14 and was paid $3.00 per hour. My first job in the front office was in the summer of 1979. I was hired mid-season as PR Director replacing a gentleman who ran for political office and left to run his campaign. He lost and I was hired in January 1980 working in sales & PR.
Anytime you start at the bottom...it helps you understand what it takes to run a baseball team from the ground floor.
BILL PAPIERNIAK, General Manager - Richmond Flying Squirrels Richmond, Virginia Eastern League. - Affiliate - San Francisco Giants.
NORM: When did you start with the Squirrels? What are your responsibilities?
PAPIERNIAK: I became General Manager of the Richmond Squirrels on September 15, 2009 (coinciding with approval from Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League for relocation of the Connecticut Defenders franchise to Richmond). I am responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and direction of the team and faciiity (The Diamond) and everything that it entails - (All revenue streams and expenses).
MIKE MELEGA, General Manager - Tulsa Drillers - Tulsa, Oklahoma. Affiliate Colorado Rockies since 2003 - Texas League.
NORM: When did you start working in baseball, what jobs have you had and how have they prepared you for your current position?
MELEGA - I began my baseball career in 1993 as an intern with the Erie Sailors in the New York Penn League and came to Tulsa in 1994 as an intern in our Food & Beverage Department. I handled F & B for the Drillers for several seasons and then held the titles of Group Sales Manager, Promotions Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing and Assistant GM before finally getting the opportunity to become GM in 2006.
RANDY WHITAKER, General Manager - Harrisburg Senators -Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - Eastern League. - Affiliate Washington Nationals since 2005.
NORM: What was your first job working in baseball? How did you obtain that position? How did that job enable you to get to where you are today?
WHITAKER: My first job in baseball is the one I have now – General Manager. I worked for 25 years in commercial television in various sales capacities. As Research Director for the local ABC network affiliate I came in contact with one of the entities interested in purchasing the Senators from the City of Harrisburg. They were looking for market and media information to help them determine the viability of purchasing the team.
I’d been a regular at Senators games for almost two decades and an avid minor league baseball fan who had experienced over 80 different minor league parks and operations. I became an “unpaid consultant” as they went through the bidding process and continued when they purchased the team. When the GM position became available I was offered the job. I believe they considered it a choice between bringing in a baseball guy and having him learn the business environment or hire a long-time business person within the market and teaching him baseball. The fact that I already had a decent basic understanding of the principles behind the minor league baseball business helped.
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