Three baseball teams — the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Class AAA; International League), the Portland Sea Dogs (Class AA; Eastern League) and Camden Riversharks (independent; Atlantic League) — announced staff additions and promotions.
For the RailRiders, Mike Trudnak, Bob McLane and Kelly Cusick have been named vice president of sales, director of ticket sales and senior inside sales representative respectively. Seth Atkinson has been promoted to director of ticket operations.
Three seasonal staffers from 2013 have been brought on in full-time roles. Giovanni “Gio” Fricchione is now a regional sales manager, Bryant Guilmette has been elevated to assistant ticket operations manager, and Victor Sweet has been named fan experience coordinator. Additionally, three new hires include Alyssa Novick, Mike Poplaski and Noelle Richard as regional sales managers.
“I am very excited for our promoted people and recent additions,” said RailRiders president/GM Rob Crain. “I feel like we have the best staff in minor league baseball and can’t wait for the 2014 season.”
Fricchione joined the RailRiders seasonally in May after graduating from McDaniel College. Prior to joining the RailRiders, he had two years of sales experience and played varsity baseball for the Green Terror. The Allentown, Pa. native currently resides in Old Forge.
Guilmette joined the RailRiders seasonally in January after interning with the Lowell Spinners (short season A; New York-Penn League) in 2012. The UMASS Lowell alumnus played four years of varsity baseball for his alma mater. A native of Hopkinton, Mass. (the official start town of the Boston Marathon), he now resides in Dickson City.
Novick joined the RailRiders in September as a regional sales manager. She graduated from the University of Tampa in May before spending the 2013 season in Clearwater, Fla. as a sales assistant at Bright House Field, the home of Phillies spring training and the Clearwater Threshers (High Class A; Florida State League). She also worked as a suites floor supervisor at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, from 2011-2013. The Poughkeepsie, N.Y. product currently resides in Duryea, Pa.
Poplaski also joined the RailRiders in September after bursting into professional baseball as a game day intern in 2012 with the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Class AA; Eastern League). He spent the summer of 2013 as a marketing/promotions intern for the Williamsport Crosscutters (short season A; New York-Penn League). The 2013 University of Richmond graduate was a four-year letter winner on the Spiders football team and interned in the school’s athletic department assisting with men’s and women’s basketball games and ticket sales. The Mechanicsburg, Pa. native now lives in Wilkes-Barre.
Richard is a 2012 graduate of The University of Massachusetts – Amherst and spent the 2013 season as a public relations intern for the Lowell Spinners (short season A; New York-Penn League). The Wareham, Mass. native also spent time with The Boston Globe, WCTV and WGGB.
Sweet attended both Hudson Valley Community College and Plattsburgh State University. The 2012 Plattsburgh State graduate held multiple on-air roles during his undergraduate studies. Those roles included co-anchoring a high school sports show, the school’s college sports show and serving as the color commentator for the school’s men’s ice hockey telecasts. The Niskayuna N.Y. native’s experience also includes serving as an assignment editor and associate sports producer for WTEN-Channel 10 in Albany, N.Y.
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The Portland SeaDogs added four native Mainers; Dennis Carter, Ashley Montgomery, Lindsey Oliver and Justin Phillips. Sea Dogs Executive Vice-President & General Manager Geoff Iacuessa made the announcement.
The hiring represents the largest full-time hiring effort since the team’s inception. “The additional hires will allow us to further extend our reach in our community,” Iacuessa said. The additions bring the Sea Dogs full-time year-round staff up to 11 employees.
Dennis Carter has been hired as the team’s new Ticket Office Manager and will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Sea Dogs ticket office. Carter brings seven years of sports industry experience. He joins the Sea Dogs from the Maine Red Claws where he served as a Senior Account Executive. Prior to joining the Red Claws in 2011, he spent four seasons in Minor League Baseball with the Salt Lake Bees (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) as an Account Executive. He began his career in the sports industry working for the Utah Jazz as an Inside Sales Representative after graduating form Weber State University with a degree in Technical Sales. He is actively involved as committee member with the Center for Grieving Children. Carter is originally from Levant and now resides in Brunswick with his wife and three children.
Ashley Montgomery will work as an Account Executive-Corporate Sales; she will be responsible for growing corporate advertising sales. She played Division I soccer at Bryant University in Rhode Island and returned home upon her graduation in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. During her time as an athlete at Bryant she volunteered for the Rhode Island Special Olympics as well as clinics and day camps for the Bryant Women’s Soccer program. She continues to remain active in athletics in southern Maine. Prior to joining the Sea Dogs, Montgomery worked at Spurwink and Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios. Montgomery is originally from Hollis and now calls Portland home.
Lindsey Oliver has been hired as an Account Executive-Season Tickets/ Merchandise Manager. Among Oliver’s duties will be souvenir store operations, servicing season ticket accounts, selling season tickets, coordinating mascot activities, and much more. Oliver served as an associate intern with the Sea Dogs during the 2013 season. A native of Sidney, Maine, Oliver graduated from Husson University with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Hospitality Management. While at Husson, she served as co-philanthropy chair, treasurer and president of her sorority and was the secretary of the Student Government. She most recently worked in sales, marketing and merchandising for a local jewelry company. Oliver currently serves as a commissioner on the Maine Commission for Community Service and resides in Portland.
Justin Phillips will serve as an Account Executive-Ticket Sales and will be responsible for selling group, individual, and season tickets along with several other duties. Phillips is a native of Brunswick and now resides in Buxton. He graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in marketing. He served as an intern for the Maine Red Claws in the teams’ inaugural 2009-2010 season where he ran game operations and occasionally served as the on-court emcee. Most recently, Phillips worked in sales for multiple industries around the greater Portland area.
“I believe we have hit a home run with these four hires,” Iacuessa said. “With their expertise and great personalities we will be able to build the Sea Dogs brand and continue to enhance the fan experience.”
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The Camden Riversharks promoted four interns to receive full-time positions in the front office. In the group sales department, Joe Bartlett was promoted from Group Sales Assistant to Group Account Manager. Adrienne Greene, a Corporate Partnerships Coordinator, was promoted to Corporate Partnerships Manager. In the marketing department, Kirsten Boye was hired full-time as the Creative Services Manager after spending the 2013 season as the Creative Services Assistant. Lastly, Chris Zabady was hired as the Box Office Manager, after having a significant role in the Box Office last season as a coordinator.
Mike Barone, a full-time employee of the Riversharks during the 2013 season, received a promotion to Marketing Manager, where he will oversee the marketing department.
“I am very proud to recognize these outstanding individuals as members of our team. They were key contributors to their respective departments and played large roles as a member of the organization as a whole. They worked incredibly hard throughout the year, and I am very happy to see them elevate from our internship program,” said Camden Riversharks General Manager Adam Lorber.
Bartlett, a Southern New Jersey native, graduated from Lynchburg College in Virginia. Before becoming a full-time intern with the Riversharks last season, Joe also spent time as a Riversharks Street Team member during the 2012 season.
Greene graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in Sport Management and Marketing. She spent time as an intern for the New Jersey Jackals and New Jersey Devils before becoming a member of the Riversharks.
Boye, originally from South Jersey, attended college at Hofstra University. She graduated in 2010, earning dual degrees in Video/Television Production and Theatre Arts. She has previously worked in other areas of the entertainment industry, including casting.
Zabady, a native of Northern New Jersey, received a degree in Sports and Recreation Management from James Madison University in 2010. Prior to the Riversharks, he worked for the JMU Athletic Department and Seton Hall University.
Barone will be entering his third season with the Riversharks. In his first year, he began as the Theme Night Coordinator for the organization, where he also assisted in executing the 2012 Atlantic League All-Star Game. Prior to working for the Riversharks, he interned with the Philadelphia Soul as their Marketing Assistant.
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