Results tagged ‘ Jason Hartlund ’
Brewers Athletes Off the Field
This past weekend, five people from our office competed in the Men’s Health Urbanathlon in Chicago. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, it is basically a 15K race with a crazy obstacle course mixed in, ending with a stair climb at Soldier Field.
Jennacy Cruz, Manager of Event Services for Stadium Operations participated in the event, as did Jason Hartlund, VP-Brewers Enterprises. From the Consumer Marketing Department (my department), Chris Barlow, Director of Group Sales; Billy Friess, Director of Season Ticket Sales; and our VP, Todd Taylor, all completed the Urbanathlon.
L-R: Chris, Jason, Todd and Billy, geared up for the Urbanathlon.
Because Chris, Billy and Todd are in my department, I had heard a lot from them about the race and the training leading up to it. I was curious: How do you train for obstacles involving concrete barriers, monster truck tires, police barricades, marine hurdles, cargo nets and stadium steps? (Okay, for these guys the last one was pretty easy.)
Hearing about the race this weekend really got me thinking. Over the years, as guys like Ryan Braun, Casey McGehee and Corey Hart have had 100-RBI seasons or guys like Prince Fielder have hit 50 home runs, my other colleagues — the athletes off the field — have accomplished some pretty amazing things as well.
Basically, what it comes down to is that in working in sports, you often find that the athletes aren’t just on the field. Because people who work in sports tend to like sports, consequently they also tend to participate in sports as well.
At the risk of accidentally leaving someone out, here’s a small sample of some of our achievements:
Did you know that we have an Olympian on staff? Dave Tamburrino, Director of Corporate Marketing, was a member of the U.S. Olympic Speedskating Team in 1994 (Lillehammer, Norway) and 1998 (Nagano, Japan). Dave also finished 5th overall at the 1995 World All Around Speedskating Championships in Baselga Di Pine, Italy and was a member of the US National Speedskating Team (1988-1998) and the World All Around Speedskating Championships Team (1994-1998). Wow! I wonder if the rest of the Corporate Marketing department finds it hard to keep up with him. Currently, Dave plays hockey for the Cans Lumberjacks adult league team at the Pettit Center.
How cool is Olympian Dave Tamburrino? Ice cold!
Diny Hurwitz, our Data Analyst, is a cyclist. His first long distance bicycle trip was an 800-mile ride from Rochester, New York, to Bar Harbor, Maine, two months before he turned 16. He’s biked across the United States from Yorktown, Virginia to Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. He’s also traveled from south to north through Oregon along the Pacific Coast and rode a 500-miles loop over three mountain passes through the Colorado Rocky Mountains, reaching an altitude of 12,095 feet at Independence Pass. He’s even accidentally biked on the Autobahn in the Czech Republic during his trip to Central Europe (don’t ask!).
Diny Hurwitz, on a bike trip to Oregon (seen here sporting his Brewers Kickball t-shirt!).
It’s been said that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint and it seems like a lot of our staff has taken that quite literally. We’ve got lots of runners in our ranks and it would be really interesting to know how many miles in races we’ve logged collectively. Here are some highlights: Sarah Holbrook, Director of Corporate Marketing, has completed three marathons in Noank, CT, Minneapolis, MN, and Amsterdam, Holland. Teddy Werner, Director of Business Operations, has also run three marathons: Boston, New York City and Chicago. Maggie Aliota, Group Event Coordinator, has completed one full marathon, four half-marathons and one sprint triathlon. Prior to the Urbanathlon, Jennacy, Chris, Jason and Billy had all run numerous races, too.
This summer, I completed my first half-marathon as well (although, my main passion is yoga; I’m proud to say I’ve finally mastered the 8-Angle pose!) and last summer, my boss, Kathy Schwab, Senior Director of Marketing, and I participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, a 60-mile walk over the course of three days in Chicago. We were proud of ourselves for not only completing the event, but for also raising over $5000 for the charity.
Here I am with my boss, Kathy (right) and our mascot, a pink Brewers monkey (appropriately dubbed “Pink Monkey”) after finishing the Breast Cancer 3-Day last August.
In February and March, many people on our staff find themselves down at Spring Training in Arizona, but just because we’re away from home, it doesn’t mean we’re on vacation. We’re still working and our exercise regimens do not take a hiatus. In fact, some members of our front office put themselves through their own version of spring training with extra-tough pre-season workouts. If you take a trip down there to see the Crew, plan to climb Camelback Mountain and you’ll likely see lots of people wearing Brewers gear. I’m proud to say that I conquered Camelback-and my fear of heights-as I climbed the mountain for the first time myself this year.
Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona: The climb was worth it for this view!
Not counting the experience on the Baseball Operations side, we’ve got semi-pro baseball players in our MIS and Suites Departments. There are company softball games against other local businesses. A kickball team comprised of people who work on the Loge Level. Volleyball and bowling leagues. A men’s pickup basketball league.
This kickball team, comprised of many people from our Loge Level, is playing for the championships next week.
Mention the words “P-90X” and you’ll have no trouble finding someone who’s been there, done that. And although we’re pretty busy during most of Wisconsin’s best golfing weather, there’s a good number of people (including me) who take advantage of any time they have to hit the links. We’ve got a former basketball coach on staff and people into dance, tennis and snowboarding.
Again, these are just the things I’m aware of. If I did an official office poll, I’m sure I’d find some more surprises.
So there you have it. The Brewers athletes off the field, a pretty competitive bunch!
What about you, readers? Comment below and let us know what cool feats you’ve accomplished!
-Cait
johnandcait@brewers.com
An Event of Their Own: Cait’s Brewers Baseball Basics for Women Recap
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of speaking at Brewers Baseball Basics for Women, presented by Associated Bank, an event designed especially for our female fans who are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at Miller Park and the Brewers front office, as well as additional insight into some nuances of America’s Favorite Pastime.
In short, the women taking part in the event put on by Brewers Enterprises had signed up for an entire day of fun at Miller Park, beginning at 9am and lasting through the game that evening.
To start their day, the ladies congregated behind the visitor’s dugout, where they were greeted by Vice President of Brewers Enterprises, Jason Hartlund and Penny Foust, Associated Bank CTP Vice President of Treasury Management.
They then heard from Vice President-Assistant General Manager, Gord Ash and Coordinator, Administration- Amateur Scouting, Amanda Kropp. The session covered information on day-to-day operations and the different tiers within the department–scouting, player development and the Major Leagues. The participants had the chance to ask questions and they took full advantage of the opportunity, inquiring about such baseball intricacies such as the infield fly rule, options and waivers and the draft process.
Gord Ash speaks at Brewers Baseball Basics for Women.
Next, the women were split up into five different “teams” and headed off to different areas of the ballpark for sessions with women in the Brewers front office.
The teams rotated to visit each of the five sessions, traveling on a behind-the-scenes tour of Miller Park along the way, including a visit to the home clubhouse and a walk around the warning track to the home bullpen, where they reviewed different pitches with Bullpen Catcher Marcus Hanel.
Tours of Miller Park usually feature a visit to the visitor’s clubhouse, but the ladies had a rare treat– a special trip through the home clubhouse, where they got to see the lockers, weight room, training room and dining room.
The teams heard about the Brewers philanthropic efforts and community events and programs from Cecelia Gore, Executive Director of the Brewers Community Foundation and Katina Shaw, Director of Community Relations and Family Liaison.
Over in the Press Box, the teams learned about broadcasting, in-game entertainment and what it takes to pull-off 81 homes games and a major event like Brewers on Deck from Aleta Mercer, Senior Director of Entertainment and Broadcasting. (For more on Aleta, click here.)
The session with Marcie Pasbrig, the Catering and Sales Manager for DNC SportService and Leslie Bishop, the NYCE Stadium Club and Gehl Club Manager for DNC SportService took place in the NYCE Stadium Club where the teams learned about the catering and hospitality. They also had a chance to sample some of the delicious fare offered at Miller Park.
Miranda Bintley, Grounds Manager was supposed to speak about her job overseeing the playing fields in both Miller Park and Helfaer Field, but she was unavailable because she is soon expecting her first child, so her boss, Grounds Director, Gary Vanden Berg, pinch hit for her and “covered that ground”. (For more on Gary and his crew, click here.)
Gary Vanden Berg speaks to a team in the home dugout.
As Senior Manager of Advertising and Marketing, I also had the pleasure of hosting a session about our advertising, ticket promotions, social media efforts and general marketing strategy.
Our session took place in the Media Interview Room, so fans like Julie Hanrahan had fun posing in front of the backdrop.
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I could tell all of the women in attendance were big Brewers fans. In fact, I had been asked to touch on the topic of retail in my sessions and I jokingly said to each group, “Well, I was supposed to talk about retail, but just looking at this group, I see you’re all very familiar with our retail operations!” Almost every woman there was wearing Brewers gear and it was great to see.
Because I was speaking to the different groups as they rotated through this high-powered lineup, unfortunately, I was unable to attend the other speakers’ sessions. However, the feedback I did receive later from both my colleagues and the attendees was very positive across the board.
“I was impressed with the questions the women asked,” Amanda Kropp commented to me. I agreed. All of the women who attended my sessions came prepared with plenty of great questions and also, valuable feedback.
The groups reconvened for a question and answer session with Brewers Manager Ken Macha, outfielder Joe Inglett and his wife, Kelly, emceed by Brewers TV Analyst Bill Schroeder.
Topics covered in that session ranged from what a typical day looks like for a player versus a manager and why the Brewers have been hit by pitches so many times this season to how many games the players’ wives typically attend during a season and what they do while their husbands are traveling on the road.
Joe Inglett, his wife, Kelly and Manager Ken Macha take questions from the fans.
The morning concluded with a drawing for special prizes such as holding the finish line for the Klement’s Sausage Race and throwing out the first pitch at that night’s game. Each woman who attended the event also received a gift bag that included a bobble head, a 2010 Brewers Yearbook, a copy of the book, Down in the Valley by Gregg Hoffmann (a history of Milwaukee County Stadium), and a pink Brewers hat from Associated Bank.
The group was then released for a couple of hours before they returned with a guest to Helfaer Field for a special tailgate which included food and drinks, photo opportunities with the Klement’s Famous Racing Sausages and appearances by John Axford, Randy Wolf, Zach Braddock, Chris Narveson and George Kottaras.
The participants and their guests then attended the Brewers-Pirates game at 6:10 pm, where their day of fun was capped off with an 8-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I’m thankful for this great opportunity to spread my love of the game (and my job!) to this group of women and I hope that they had as much fun as I did.
I also hope that next year, we get even more women to come out to get a glimpse at the women behind-the-scenes at Miller Park and to learn more about the sport that Milwaukee has embraced for years.
-CAIT
There is No Offseason for…Brewers Enterprises
When most people think of Miller Park, they automatically conjure up thoughts of the fun they’ve had on game day. Jason Hartlund and his staff are trying to change that.
Jason is the Vice President of Brewers Enterprises, a relatively new division of the Milwaukee Brewers (2006) that oversees all non-baseball events and revenue for Miller Park.
We are fortunate to have a venue that provides a myriad of entertainment options–rain or shine–suitable for anything from 40,000 persons down to small groups and in his role, Jason oversees the operations and develops sales and marketing strategies to attract a broad mix of events in and around Miller Park, from conventions and concerts to corporate retreats, parties and so much more.
Jason climbed on board to steer the Brewers Enterprises ship in May of 2008 after beginning his Brewers career in the Corporate Marketing Department. Prior to joining the Brewers, he had served three seasons as Manager of Corporate Sales for the Green Bay Packers.
With just five people, the Brewers Enterprises staff may be on the small side, but as you’ll see, they accomplish a great deal, working year-round to enhance your ballpark experience.
There’s Sarah Chmiel, Manager of Brewers Enterprises. Her job is to think of creative uses for the ballpark.
“Sarah’s role has been developing many of the non-baseball events that have taken place here, such as the Field of Sweet Dreams, Baseball Boot Camp, the Brewers Road Crew, Miller Park Movies and the Border Battle, the minor league game that we hosted here last year, ” Jason explained. We’ll talk more about those events later.
Then there’s Tai Chamness, Manager of Special Events. She’s who you go to if you want to book your wedding, party or special event at Miller Park.
“We have really focused on becoming more customer-service oriented with function spaces. That’s Tai’s specialty,” Jason said.
“We’ve been successful with holiday parties, tours, Helfaer Field, meeting room rentals and parking lot events this year,” Jason said. “But weddings have really taken off.”
As someone who had her own wedding reception at Miller Park and took her wedding photos on the field and in the Visitor’s Clubhouse back in 2007, I can certainly understand the allure. Baseball fans and non-baseball fans alike can appreciate the beautiful backdrop of the field looking out from the Metavante Club.
Me and my husband, Brian, on our wedding day in August 2007.
My favorite photo–me with Brian and the groomsmen– taken in the dugout.
The Brewers Enterprises staff will help you customize your Big Day every step of the way; they’ve seen it all–from a total baseball wedding complete with uniforms and ballpark fare to the most elegant affairs where the location takes a backseat to everything else. You can have your ceremony at the park, or your reception, or both.
Throw in Cory Congemi, Coordinator of Helfaer Field and Miller Park Tours and Katie Wettstein, Special Events Coordinator, whose primary focus is on the Brewers Conference Center, and you have one busy crew.
The Aaron Room in the new Brewers Conference Center.
That’s why I found it amazing that Sarah and Jason were able to find enough time to sit down with me for this interview.
Sarah Chmiel and Jason Hartlund are all about maximizing
your experience at Miller Park year round.
Let’s take a look at what Brewers Enterprises is doing in the offseason and what’s on tap for 2010.
Right now, Sarah is in full travel agent mode, working on the Brewers Road Crew trip to Spring Training in Phoenix, March 10-14 (referenced in a previous post, found here).
“This is something we have never done before. In speaking with the Ticket Department, we know that they get numerous calls asking about Spring Training trips each year. This is something fans have been waiting for and we hope it’s successful,” Sarah said.
“We are going to take a group of people down to Arizona and we’re going to provide them with airfare, hotel accommodations and transportation while they’re there. They’ll get to see three Spring Training games,” Sarah explained. She began to get animated as she started to list the additional perks of joining the Brewers Road Crew for this one-of-a-kind opportunity.
“They will have the chance to meet some of the higher-ups from the Front Office. We’ll have a tailgate party that the current players will come to at Maryvale Baseball Park. Some former players will hang out with them….oh and our broadcasters, Bill Schroeder and Brian Anderson, will be there, too,” she went on.
I found out that participants will also have a chance to win behind-the-scenes experiences while they’re there, like throwing out the First Pitch, running in the Sausage Race or sitting in with Bill and Brian during webcasts of the Spring Training games. Plus, they’ll get gifts like a t-shirt, a ball for autographs and a player-issued tech fleece. Finally, every guest will receive a ticket to see the team when they come back to Milwaukee for Opening Day at Miller Park on April 5 vs. the Colorado Rockies.
By the time she’s finished her spiel, I’m practically reaching for my credit card. With more benefits than even I knew about and at $3695 for a couple, minus all of the stress of planning a trip for myself, it also sounds like more than a great deal.
“We’d like to use this Road Crew concept to take fans on the road during the season even, for bigger trips with the team. The first of many, we hope,” Sarah said.
Along with the Road Crew event, Brewers Enterprises is busy making plans for all of the other special non-game day events here at Miller Park.
Last year, they introduced several new events to Brewers fans, like the Border Battle, Brewers Baseball Boot Camp, Miller Park Movies and the Field of Sweet Dreams.
First, the Border Battle. Last April, Miller Park hosted a Midwest League matchup between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Peoria Chiefs.
The Timber Rattlers became the Brewers’ Class A Midwest League affiliate at the beginning of last season and through our partnership with them, the Border Battle served as a great opportunity for fans to see some of the organization’s younger prospects play in a Major League environment. The Chiefs are the Chicago Cubs’ affiliate, so it also gave us the chance to showcase the players who will play key roles in the future of the Cubs-Brewers rivalry.
Bernie Brewer and Timber Rattlers mascot, Fang, before the Border Battle in April 2009.
“We had over 17,000 fans attend,” Jason said. “We kept it extremely affordable. The focus was on making it easy for fans to come out and enjoy the ballpark. All seats were $10 and they were sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you got your tickets early, you could be sitting in the best seats in the house, behind home plate or the dugouts, for just $10.”
Brewers Enterprises plans on hosting a similar event this year; they’re just finalizing details, so be sure and stay tuned!
Brewers Enterprises also hopes to bring back Brewers Baseball Boot Camp.
Baseball Boot Camp is an intense one-day affair where fans get to experience a day in the life of an actual ballplayer.
“We have about 50 people who attend and we divide into four teams. The coaches are alumni players. Last year, they were Jerry Augustine, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas and Paul Wagner. The participants come in early in the morning and have access to the Visiting Clubhouse; they use the lockers and it’s staffed the same way it would be for the pros. Then, the participants get a half-day of coaching and review of fundamentals. In the afternoon, they play games until one of the teams is crowned Champion,” Sarah explained.
“The Championship team is then brought back for a pre-game ceremony that includes a trophy presentation.”
All of the participants also receive an authentic, personalized jersey. In its inaugural year, the event was promoted around Father’s Day as a gift idea and the actual event took place in July.
Sarah said they have already gotten calls from the 2009 participants, wanting to sign up for 2010.
Another successful inaugural event last year was the Field of Sweet Dreams. Last September, fans of all ages had the chance to take part in a giant sleepover on the field at Miller Park.
“It went really well,” Sarah said. “It was a nice, affordable option for families.”
With space for 300 people and a portion of the proceeds benefitting Brewers Charities, Inc., the event sold out in less than a week.
Upon entering the ballpark, participants received a special gift. They then headed down to the field, where they were able to pitch their tents and enjoy a meal.
For entertainment, the Associated Bank Kids Zone was open, folks could take tours of the park, there were raffle prizes given out and fans could send in scoreboard messages that rotated all night.
The attendees watched the Brewers road game on the videoboard, followed by a movie. Before lights out, fans were treated to a bedtime story, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, read by Dave Bush and Corey Hart via the scoreboard.
In the morning, everyone was awakened by the sound of the boom cannons (fireworks) and Uecker’s home run call piped through the sound system. All attendees also got a keepsake of a personal, professional photo taken at home plate.
Field of Sweet Dreams, September 2009.
“I personally had a blast. It was a lot of fun,” Sarah recounted. “That was my favorite event from last year.”
Along with these events, Brewers Enterprises also hosted Miller Park Movies in 2009, bringing the nostalgia of the classic American drive-in movie theater to the parking lots of Miller Park.
Another memorable Brewers Enterprises production took place in August of 2008 for the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration, when H.O.G. members were treated to a special event that took place on the Miller Park grounds featuring concerts by artists like Sugarland and Kid Rock.
“These kind of events really show people that you can use the footprint of Miller Park in different ways,” Jason said.
In addition to planning and executing all of these events, Brewers Enterprises has also been retained by IMG to sell advertising in the game day program for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship this year. Rounds 1 and 2 will be at the Bradley Center.
“It’s an example of how we have diversified and come up with different sources of revenue,” Jason noted.
Diversified indeed. From ballpark tours and meetings to Little League games and weddings; from concerts and sleepovers to boot camps and road trips, Brewers Enterprises does it all, proving that Miller Park is about more than just baseball.
It also proves, once again, that there is no offseason.
-Cait
For more information on any of the events mentioned in this article, or to book your event at Miller Park in 2010, call Brewers Enterprises at (414) 902-4452.
Is there someone you’d like to see profiled in this feature? E-mail us at johnandcait@brewers.com.
John and Cait
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