MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

New Swing Ownership Announces Key Additions to Staff

Published on November 30, 2007 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Former Double-A General Manager Kirk Goodman has been hired by Main Street Iowa to serve as the Vice President of the new ownership group, and will begin working with the Swing of the Quad Cities immediately, the club announced on Friday. The Swing also announced that Stefanie Brown has been hired as the Director of Community and Client Relations, while General Manager Ben Burke, Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations Ben Chiswick, and Account Executive Jeff Koenig will continue to work for the organization.

Goodman, 31, joins Main Street Iowa to oversee the operation of the Swing after a long tenure with the Jacksonville Suns, the Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Originally a member of the Suns franchise in 1998, Goodman was promoted to Assistant General Manager of the team in 2000 before leaving to join the Portland (OR) Beavers. While in the Northwest, he played an instrumental role in the completion of a $38 Million stadium renovation and the return of Triple-A Baseball and professional soccer to Portland.

Goodman returned to Jacksonville in 2002, again as Assistant General Manager, in time for the opening of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in 2003. He was promoted to General Manager of the Suns in 2005 and remained in that position until joining the Swing. During the early part of his career, he gained experience with the Boise Hawks, Los Angeles Dodgers and Batavia Clippers prior to his 1997 graduation from Ithaca College.

"This is an amazing opportunity to work for a visionary ownership group and be a part of a very exciting time in the history of Quad Cities baseball," said Goodman. "I am very anxious to get to the 2008 season and put on a great show for our fans to enjoy next summer."

"When we bought this franchise, we made up our minds that we wanted to bring in the strongest management team possible," said new team owner Dave Heller. "Kirk Goodman is as good as they come. He ran the Jacksonville Suns, one of the most successful clubs in the Southern League and all of Double-A baseball. He did a great job in Jacksonville and I'm confident he'll do a great job bringing a lot of fun and great value to our fans across the Quad Cities."

Along with Goodman, the Swing have hired Stefanie Brown as the team's Director of Community and Client Relations, which is a new position within the franchise. A graduate of Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, Brown spent the 2007 season with the Jacksonville Suns following stints with the Erie Seawolves, Altoona Curve and State College Spikes.

"I am greatly looking forward to becoming a part of this community and working with all of the amazing fans and sponsors of the Swing," said Brown. "Working with charities and fans has provided me with some of the most rewarding memories of my career and I am confident that working with the people of the Quad Cities will be an even more wonderful experience."

"Stefanie Brown has succeeded everywhere she's gone," said Heller. "The litany of teams she's worked for is almost a "Who's Who" of the most successful teams in baseball - State College, Altoona, Jacksonville. We had to create a new job to get her - a job where her focus is going to be reaching out across our community and making sure that our fans are treated like royalty from the moment they enter the ballpark. She will also be overseeing all of our charitable endeavors - which we intend to expand greatly."

The Swing will be continuing to build the front office staff in preparation for the 2008 season as the new ownership seeks to transform the staff and put its own stamp on baseball in the Quad Cities. More announcements regarding the front office will be made in the coming weeks.

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