Checkers reorganize front office - Healy joins staff
July 7, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
Charlotte, NC â Wednesday, July 7, 2004: The Charlotte Checkers announce today a new staff addition and two staff promotions. The announcement is being made Wednesday by Checkers President Jeff Longo. The Checkers are pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Healy to the position of Vice President of Communications and Promotions. In addition, the Checkers announce the promotions of Shannon Smith to Vice President of Ticket Sales, and Pete Paule to Director of Corporate Partnerships.
Longo commented on the recent front office addition and promotions. "The Checkers are extremely pleased to reorganize our front office and recognize those members who have helped us to achieve the success we've had to date. With the addition of several key members and the increased responsibilities that our top staff have embraced, we're now in a much better position to approach the Charlotte Community. The Checkers front office staff is now in place to implement a new marketing vision that includes the desires of our fans every step of the way. We've added a ton of extra value for our season ticket holders, an unbeatable mini-plan, and will be introducing a number of key promotions for our casual fans. The sweeping changes that the fans will see next season certainly could not have been achieved without the renewed commitment of our entire staff."
Tim Donelli, who held the Director of Communications position part-time for the past two seasons, will step back to devote more time to his role as Director of Broadcasting for the Checkers as well as his position with Hockey Ministries International. "Jeff and I both came to the conclusion at the end of this past season that the Director of Communications position needed to be a full-time undertaking," said Donelli. "As we begin to undertake the project of televising several Checkers games this season and to continue serving our fans with our TEAMLINE broadcasts, the workload of these positions plus continuing to handle the team's communications would have been too much for me to be effective. Rob will be able to focus full-time in this role and will do a terrific job."
Healy makes his debut in the world of professional sports as he begins his first season with the Charlotte Checkers. Responsible for overseeing the Checkers Public Relations/Marketing Department, Healy's primary goals are to increase the team's profile within the Charlotte community, boost participation in Checkers charitable events, generate personal interest stories in the dynamic individuals behind the Checkers revitalization, and to create a brand that captures Charlotte's rich, multi-cultural foundation.
Healy joins the Checkers after seven-years with Midnite Express, an entertainment services company in Los Angeles. As the Special Projects Director, Healy ran the marketing campaigns for new offices, corporate promotions, and media festivals around the globe. A client and media liaison at the Cannes Film Festival and the National Association of Television Producers and Executives Market among others, Healy was also responsible for creating a successful branding campaign for the company's new image in 2003. Prior to entering the marketing field, Healy worked as an assistant director on music videos and feature films. In 1997, he sold a screenplay to Academy Award winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer at Universal Pictures.
"I would like to echo the sentiments of my colleague, Aaron Osborne, in thanking Carl Scheer, Felix Sabates, and Jeff Longo for inviting me to join this extraordinary organization," commented Healy. "The electric atmosphere at the Checkers is generated by a group devoted to delivering incredible professional hockey to the Charlotte market. Each member of this talented club upholds the standards set by the Charlotte community and I am proud to consider myself part of the team."
A Charlotte native, Healy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1995. A rabid Tar Heels fan and Charlotte Catholic alumni, he is currently earning his MBA in Marketing from the McColl Graduate School of Business at Queens University.
"Rob possesses the creativity, enthusiasm, and spark that this organization is seeking as we continue to immerse ourselves in the Charlotte Community," remarked Longo. "Rob is excited about establishing the Charlotte Checkers as the most accessible, most involved, sports team in the city. We're extremely excited to welcome Rob on board and are looking forward to implementing the community vision that the Checkers have been working on for the past eight months."
Shannon Smith is in her third season with the Checkers and served as the team's Director of Ticket Sales last season. She started with the Checkers during the Spring of 2002 as the Director of Game Day Operations and Tickets Sales Representative. Shannon is a native of Lakewood, Colorado and a 2000 graduate of the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business with a masters degree in Science/Sports Management. Shannon is also a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, GA with a degree in Communication. While at Mercer, she was a four year letter winner playing Division I softball for the Bears. Before coming to Charlotte, Shannon spent one year working with The Gold Crown Foundation in Lakewood, Colorado and one season with the Richmond Renegades-formally of the ECHL.
"Shannon has been an extremely valuable member of the Checkers front office team the last two seasons," said Longo. "Last season, Shannon went above and beyond her job responsibilities and was an instrumental part of planning promotions, community relations events, and helping contribute to the day-to-day operation of the club. This recognition is well-deserved and we are extremely excited to see her department move forward as she will now have more time and energy to focus on increasing season and group ticket sales. Shannon's creativity will be a major part of our expected success in these categories for next season."
Smith commented on her promotion to Vice President of Ticket Sales. "I'm very excited about this opportunity; with the staff we have in place now I only see great things for the Checkers. We've been working very hard this off season to increase our season ticket base and to grow our group numbers. I believe we will be very successful with both."
Pete Paule joined the Checkers staff in June of 2002, after working with the Greenville Groove of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). Pete started out with the Scheer Sports group as an intern with the Greenville Grrrowl and Carolina Rhinos (AF2) in 2001. Last season Paule served the Checkers as Assistant Director of Corporate Sales. Paule, a Toledo, Ohio native, received his B.S. in Marketing from the University of South Carolina - Spartanburg where he was a member of the USC'S men's basketball team. He lives in the South End area with his cat Ms. Bojangles'.
"Pete represents our organization with class, enthusiasm, and excitement on a daily basis and continues to excel in his ability to establish new relationships within Charlotte's corporate community," commented Longo. "Pete and Aaron (new VP Corporate Partnerships) continue to develop programs that create marketing partnerships that are innovative, achieve specific goals, and show a great return on investment. Our corporate partnership department is well-poised to continue to establish the Checkers as a great platform for helping achieve a company's marketing goals in a fun environment."
The Checkers home opener for the 2004-05 season will be held on Saturday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Cricket Arena when Charlotte will host the Columbia Inferno. Season tickets for the upcoming season are now on sale. Fans may call the Checkers office at (704) 342-4423 for complete information.
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