MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Chiefs Announce Staff Additions, Promotions

Published on November 3, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


November 3, 2008

Chiefs Announce Staff Additions & Promotions

Five new staff members ready to take Chiefs to next level in 2009

PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Chiefs have announced five new additions and one promotion to the front office staff as the off-season swings into full gear.

Eric Obalil has been promoted from Ticket Sales Manager to Senior Director of Ticket Sales and he will oversee the entire sales department. Obalil has been with the Chiefs since October of 2005 and was an Account Executive before his move up to Ticket Sales Manager. He helped the sales staff establish franchise records in group ticket sales, season ticket sales, overall sales and attendance in both 2007 and 2008. A 2004 graduate of Bradley University, the Morrison, IL native worked with the Quad City Mallards and interned with the Kane County Cougars before joining the Chiefs.

The five new employees are Account Executives Amanda Curtis, Jack Schmitz and Kyle Wicks, Vice President of Corporate Sales Justin Reckamp and Events & Entertainment Manager Sarah Grady. Curtis and Schmitz were sales interns with the Chiefs during the 2008 season in which the Chiefs set attendance and sales records and started full time in the sales office immediately after the season ended. Wicks joined the sales office October 6 while Reckamp started October 28. Grady will be the final employee to come on board when she joins the Chiefs November 10.

"We are very confident that we have assembled an outstanding staff as we head into the 2009 season," said Chiefs President Rocky Vonachen. "All five of our new employees have tremendous backgrounds and quite a bit of experience in their fields. We are excited about what this staff can accomplish in Central Illinois for 2009."

Curtis is a 2007 graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in Business Administration and she joined the Chiefs as a sales intern in January. Among her responsibilities for the 2009 season are the Homer's Reading Program with local schools, the Chiefs Library Reading Program and working will all local youth sports programs.

Schmitz joined the Chiefs as a sales intern in March and was hired full-time in September. He graduated from Marian College in Indianapolis in 2006 with a degree in Sport Management and is currently pursuing his masters in Sports Management at Illinois State University. Schmitz is an Indiana native who is in charge of servicing group ticket customers and new season ticket holders in 11 counties east of Peoria including Tazewell and Woodford Counties.

Wicks is a St. Louis native who joined the Chiefs after two seasons in the sales department of the River City Rascals in the independent Frontier League. He will service all group customers and new season ticket holders east of the I-55 corridor including Bloomington-Normal, Springfield, Pontiac and Champaign. A 2006 graduate of Valparaiso University with a degree in Sports Management, Wicks interned with the Iowa Cubs in 2006 before joining the Rascals as a full-time employee.

Reckamp takes over the vacant Vice President of Corporate Sales position with the Chiefs and will work to both secure and service new and current corporate partners for the team. A Harvard, IL native, Reckamp graduated from North Central College in Naperville in 2004 with a degree in Business Marketing and Business Entrepreneurship. Before joining the Chiefs he worked for Live Nation Motor Sports in the Chicago area as a Regional Sales Manager.

Grady is the newest Chiefs employee and she will take charge of the Events and Entertainment on November 10. Among her responsibilities will be the on-field games, all pre-game and post-game activities, booking entertainments acts, community relations and running the audio and video during games. The Frankfort, IL native has been working in a similar position with the independent Joliet Jackhammers of the Frontier League for the past two seasons. A 2006 graduate of Lewis University with a degree in Sport Management, Grady also interned with the Jackhammers and served as the on-field emcee.

Reckamp and Grady replace John Jackson and Camden Linstead respectively as both former Chiefs employees now work with the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. Gone from the 2008 sales staff are VP of Sales Joe Wagoner who is now with the Kane County Cougars and Jake Weiler who is in sales with the Positive Coaching Alliance in the Chicago area.

The front office staff is now complete with 14 full-time employees. Season and group tickets are now available by calling 309-680-4000 or online at www.peoriachiefs.com. The entire 2009 game schedule is available online as well and individual tickets will go on sale in March.

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