We have personnel news from a couple of Low A South Atlantic League teams, including the Charleston RiverDogs and Lexington Legends.
In Charleston, the RiverDogs have named Josh Shea their Vice President, Food & Beverage.
Shea returns to the Lowcountry for a second stint with the club after serving as the F&B Director for six years (2013-2018) previously with the RiverDogs. The Clemson grad most recently spent the 2019 season as the Food & Beverage Director for the Augusta GreenJackets (South Atlantic League).
“We are excited to welcome Josh back to the RiverDogs team as we continue to expand our growing food and beverage operations each year,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “Josh of course has familiarity with the market and our fans can expect more creative food options that the RiverDogs have become known for coming up in 2020.”
A native of Abbeville, SC, Shea gained culinary experience as the catering chef at Tidewater Catering, spent time at Triangle Char & Bar in West Ashley and Halls Chop House in downtown Charleston while also working as a personal chef prior to his first stint with the RiverDogs. Along with his Clemson education, he has also earned an associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of Charleston.
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In Lexington, the Legends have announced the hiring of seven new front office staff members. The new members of Lexington’s staff bring experience from four Minor League Baseball Teams and six minor league sports teams.
“Coming off back-to-back championships, we are so excited to expand our front office staff. Our newcomers come from diverse backgrounds and professions, five different states and are eager to immerse themselves in the Central Kentucky. Not only are we excited to see the growth within the Legends, but throughout our community,” said Legends President/CEO, Andy Shea.
Van Ferguson – Director of Community and Military Affairs
Van Ferguson is a native of Paintsville, Kentucky. After graduating from Alice Lloyd College in 2012, he enlisted in the United States Army where he spent 7 years as a Special Forces Green Beret while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Ferguson served a total of 12 months deployed overseas with multiple awards and decorations. Following a medical retirement in September of 2019, he returned to Kentucky as the Director of Community and Military Affairs for the Legends.
Kara Shepherd – Director of Special Events
Shepherd has joined the Legends to curate and facilitate special events. Prior to joining the front office team, she coordinated marketing and special events for Lexington Green, a local shopping center. This included booking and managing a local concert series on site: Lakeside Live. This passion for music stems from her talent and drive to sing. She performs locally and around the state. Her artistic background has her thrilled to entice artists of different genres to grace the stage at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Her flair for all things creative is also sure to be beneficial in upcoming attractions you’ll see at the stadium. Shepherd’s love for central Kentucky has kept her close to home: Paris, Kentucky. She traveled down the road to Georgetown College for her undergraduate degree majoring in Communication and Media Studies in 2013.
Ian Ueltschi – Ticket Operations Manager
Ueltschi is originally from Frankfort, Kentucky and attended Morehead State University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management. His first job in Minor League Baseball was with the Akron Rubber Ducks (Class AA; Eastern League) where he worked as an inside sales representative. He spent last season working for the Jackson Generals (Class AA; Southern League).
Sidney Laughlin – Retail Manager
Laughlin joined the Legends in October of 2019 as the Retail Manager. She brings over five years of retail experience to the Stache Shoppe, overseeing all merchandise operations for the team. Originally from Rock Island, Illinois, Laughlin started her career in baseball with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low A; Midwest League) in 2014, working part-time in the team store. She then graduated from Illinois State University in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. After taking a few years away from the Bandits and spending a year working at Walt Disney World, she returned in 2019 as the Community Relations Assistant.
Ron Mack – Corporate Sales Executive
Mack holds a BA Degree in Marketing and Economics from the University of Kentucky. He was born and raised in Lexington, KY where he participated in multiple youth sports leagues in the local area. Mack went on to earn a full scholarship to play football with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. There, he was a two-year starter and four-year letterman. He is the Founder of Legacy Equine Academy, a non-profit organization in Lexington, KY. He manages an all-volunteer LEA staff with a mission to grow the Legacy footprint according to future expansion, fund-raising, and geographic endeavors through The Legacy Series, which includes annual events such as Legacy Ball, Legacy Kickoff and Legacy Day at Keeneland. LEA meets the needs of Business and Industry by, in partnership with Fayette County Public Schools, identifying and overseeing a structured pathway for youth that will promote equine and agricultural career related opportunities.
Zachery Booth – Account Executive (Ticket Sales)
Booth is responsible for selling season tickets, partial plans, group tickets, and suites. He came to the Legends from the Nashville Sounds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) working in sales as well. He graduated from Georgia Southern University college with a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and a Minor in Business. In his free time, he likes to watch sports, go hunting or fishing, and hang out with his friends. His favorite sports teams are anything Auburn, the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Braves, anything Georgia Southern, and the Atlanta Hawks.
Adam Vrzal – Account Executive (Ticket Sales)
Vrzal grew up in Roswell, Georgia then graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with majors in Journalism and Electronic Media, Sports Management and a minor in Political Science. Previously, he worked for the Catawba Valley Stars in the CVSCL and the Forest City Owls (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) as the Play-By-Play Broadcaster and Director of Media Relations. Adam also worked for the Knoxville Ice Bears of the SPHL as an Account Executive.