Todd “Parney” Parnell, VP/COO of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, has been named the 2013 Class AA Eastern League Executive of the Year.
The 2013 season marked Todd’s fourth with the Flying Squirrels. Parnell, who previously won the award in 2004 while with the Altoona Curve, will be presented with the award at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida during the Opening Session on December 9.
Behind Parney’s leadership, the Richmond franchise enjoyed a record season at the gate in 2013. The team set a new franchise record with a league-high average attendance of 6,689 this season. The Flying Squirrels also ranked second in the league in total attendance despite losing six openings, with 434,769 fans coming out to the Diamond in 2013. This marks the third time in their four seasons that Richmond has led the league in either total or average attendance, including leading the league in both categories during their inaugural season in 2010. The Squirrels are also heavily involved within the community led by Parney, who annually makes hundreds of appearances in the community on behalf of the Flying Squirrels. That is in addition to numerous other charitable efforts in the community, such as the Go NUTS For Reading Program, which had over 38,000 children participate, and a Coats for Kids Drive at the ballpark last fall that collected over 1,000 coats.
With the presentation of this award the Eastern League would also like to recognize the outstanding job performed by the entire Richmond Flying Squirrels staff.
“Parney and the entire the front office staff in Richmond have done a tremendous job in just a few short seasons of building the Flying Squirrels into one of the model franchises in all of Minor League Baseball,” said Eastern League President Joe McEacharn. “Whether it’s greeting fans before every game as they enter The Diamond or being out in the community on an almost daily basis for one of his speaking engagements, Parney’s tireless energy and enthusiasm have quickly become synonymous with the Flying Squirrels organization.”
Parnell, a 1988 graduate of Messiah College, is a 24-year veteran of the baseball industry who in 2011 was named the Baseball America Minor League Executive of the Year. Prior to joining the Flying Squirrels in 2010 he served as the president of the Greenberg Sports Group, overseeing the operation of the State College Spikes and Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Parnell previously spent seven seasons as the General Manager of the Altoona Curve from 2002-2008 and was the Vice President and General Manager of the Kannapolis Intimidators from 1997 to 2001, where in 1999 he was named the South Atlantic League General Manager of the Year.
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