SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Gates To Launch New Frontier League Franchise

Published on August 2, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Charleston, WV (August 2, 2008) - The West Virginia Power announced the resignation of Ryan Gates today. Ryan will pursue an opportunity to launch a new franchise in the Frontier League in Avon, Ohio. The resignation is effective immediately as Ryan will begin preparations to launch the new team and stadium for an opening in May 2009.

"I've known Ryan since our days in Erie in 1998 and we were fortunate to bring him back to our organization for the 2004 season," said Executive Vice President Andy Milovich. "His understanding of our industry and ability to build meaningful relationships in the community were instrumental to the successful launch of the West Virginia Power and Appalachian Power Park. We will certainly miss his leadership and wish him well in the opportunity to become the face of the new franchise in Avon."

Ryan joined the Charleston Alley Cats in April of 2004 as the team's Director of Business Development. After taking the reins from a sales and marketing perspective, he quickly assumed the General Manager's position when Milovich was promoted to the role of Executive Vice President and began to oversee the Power, Power Alley Grill, and Palisades Baseball's New York Penn League Franchise in Mahoning Valley in the fall of 2006. He led the team to a third consecutive attendance record in 2007 and established himself as one of the leading General Managers in the industry.

The team will not make any other changes to the staff at this time and will divide Ryan's responsibilities between Milovich and Assistant General Manager Joe Payne. "Ryan and I have discussed this opportunity for several months and we have worked together to provide a smooth transition," said Milovich. "Joe has done a tremendous job for us and has an enormous opportunity. I will work closely with him over the next few months as we prepare him to take the next step and evaluate our staffing needs with regard to our 2009 preparations" said Milovich.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from August 2, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central