Second season momentum

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May 15, 2006 • Volume 17 Number 6

The Business Newspaper for Central Massachusetts / Metrowest

Tornadoes say media deal, improved marketing will draw more fans

Despite a championship season last year, the team has yet “to reach the feeling that everybody knows about the Tornadoes,” says President Alan Stone.

B Y K E N N E T H J . S T. O N G E

heir inaugural season achieved a level of success that the Tornadoes couldn’t have scripted, even if they tried. A last minute addition to the newly formed CanAm league, the Worcester team, its front office, stadium and sponsors came together in a hectic few months from late Jan. to May

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last year.

Its seven rivals, all established clubs from other independent league divisions, had a four-month head start to assemble their first year run at the pennant.

But the feisty Tornadoes’ whirlwind start carried over into the season. They drew an continues on page 16

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average of 2,600 fans each night to its games and rode that support to the league championship.

After season’s end in Aug., the team had another first – a genuine off-season to prepare, line up sponsorships and focus on the business of running the team.

Creating an identity There was a lot to do at the end of last

season, says Alan Stone, president and CEO of the team. One of the most important priorities: Building on the Tornadoes identity to the point where it becomes a regional household name.

“Day after day we’re reaching into undiscovered territory,” Stone says.

“We’re very new and fresh and still at the point where we’re educating people about getting to the ballpark.”

Stone blames the quick start in 2005 for some of the lack of name recognition. But the success of the team on the

field last year, plus a front office that has doubled in size over the Fall and Winter, will fix that, he says. The championship trophy also makes it easier to draw fans and sponsors alike, says Stone, and for ball clubs, those elements form the twin pillars of success. Sponsorships can increase attendance, and higher attendance yields more sponsorships.

With more time to focus on sponsorships and ticket sales, the season opens with several sell-outs. Management believes that five-game ticket packs and

A launch pad for sports careers or those who play or work for the team, The Tornadoes organization offers an opportunity to live their dream of making money from baseball. For these Tornadoes, it’s one of the most endearing aspects of the team.

Path to the “bigs.” First baseman and designated hitter Chris Colabello grew up splitting his childhood between Milford and Rimini, Italy, where his father Lou pitched for the Italian national team.

There, the younger Colabello honed his skills playing in championship little league games across Europe alongside future Italian baseball stars.

Back in America, Colabello transitioned a solid high school baseball career at Milford High to an AllAmerican caliber bid at Assumption College in his senior year, when he expected to be drafted by a major league squad.

It didn’t happen. But within a month he was play-

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If you’re a young graduate looking to break into baseball, look for an internship or unpaid volunteer job where you can prove your worth to an organization, says Krista Boyd, director of media relations for the Tornadoes.

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Worcester Business Journal • May 15, 2006

ing for the Tornadoes. The 22-year-old finished the season hitting .320 with eight homers and 31 RBIs. That success led to off-season workouts with the Italian team at the World Baseball Classic. He also was signed, but later released, by the Detroit Tigers.

“When I wasn’t drafted I thought it was the end of the world and I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise,” he says. The Tornadoes offer a chance to fine tune his skills and showcase his talents while he hopes for a call from another major league team.

Up-and-coming staffer. Media Relations Director Krista Boyd was also born with a love of the game.

The Dallas native’s grandfather owned a minor league team in West Texas, and summer vacations often revolved around visiting ballparks. At eight, says Boyd, 23, she decided that her goal was to be paid to watch baseball.

As this season opens, her first with the team, Boyd will run the press box, send out press releases, work with reporters covering the team and help coordinate radio and television coverage.

The recent Drake University graduate jump-started her career by interning at Roger Dean Stadium in FL. There she put together programs for the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins spring training seasons, and later for their minor league affiliated teams in Palm Beach and Jupiter.

“This is a hard industry to break into. It’s not something where you can walk up, and they hire you,” she says. In Boyd’s case, it took months of unpaid internships before landing her first minor league job. Her advice to young graduates: Make yourself available as an intern or unpaid volunteer and use that chance to prove your worth to an organization.

Seconed career. Assistant General Manager Jorg Bassiacos, 42, saw the Tornadoes as a second chance to pursue a baseball career that he put off while working in the insurance business.

A former tri-captain of the North Adams State College baseball squad, the Brookline native spent 15

more than 20 sponsorship nights with free giveaways should draw even more into The Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, located on the Holy Cross campus. Together with group sales efforts, these new ticket plans have already eaten up more of the supply of tickets than last year, notes General Manger Todd Marlin. That means tickets are harder to get, driving up demand for games, he says.

Tornadoes tickets range from $6 for general admission to $18 for executive

PHOTOS/JEFF LOUGHLIN

Continued from cover

When he wasn’t drafted by a major league squad, signing with the Tornadoes was “a blessing in disguise,” says Chris Colabello, 22. years in sales and marketing. He became jaded with the industry after a lawsuit against his former employer, Marsh McLellan Inc. Bassiacos had maintained his interest in baseball playing in park leagues in Boston and attending umpire school. But he didn’t know how to make the jump into baseball until an announcement on television that the Tornadoes had formed.

“I had always talked about it, but it wasn’t until then that thought I could give it a shot,” he says.

He parlayed his skills as a salesman into an assistant GM job.

“It’s all about sales,” says Bassiacos. “ We all sell – outfield billboards, sideline billboards, space in the souvenir programs. That’s what a lot of the pre-season is about.”

During the season, he focuses on managing the field, from security to ticket taking to grounds maintenance. Although he works long hours and makes much less than he used to, any insomnia he has stems from excitement rather than frustration. “If there’s any regret, it’s not having done this 20 years ago,” he says.

- K.J.S.

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F E AT U R E

General Manager Todd Marlin notes that the Tornadoes’ five-station, season-long radio deal and 18-game television broadcast with Charter will give the team the chance to customize sponsorship deals. seats, higher than the scale for other minor league teams. Tickets for the Lowell Spinners, a Class A affiliate of the Red Sox, range from $ 4.50 to $7.50. The Triple A Pawtucket Red Sox charge $6 to $9. Tickers for Marlin’s former team, the Nashua Pride, cost from $7 to $10.

Down the line, Marlin envisions turning the ballpark into a destination restaurant for families. The team is also working on promoting concert nights for national acts, Marlin says, since there is no outdoor stadium like the park in the area.

Although he would not disclose Tornadoes’ revenues, profit margins, or investor commitments, Stone told reporters last year that the team was profitable. And while profits are the name of the game, the owners have loftier ambitions, Stone says. He wants to give something back to the community: Pride in its winning team, role models for kids and a place where families can go for entertainment.

Finding more backers As for sponsorship, Marlin and Stone say they would like to see more companies follow in the footsteps of The Hanover Insurance Group in Worcester, the Tornadoes’ largest single sponsor.

Sponsorship of the team, says CEO Frederick H. Eppinger, provides the

company with a vehicle to spearhead its charitable efforts in the community.

Hanover bought the naming rights and handled the expenses of upgrading Fitton Field at Holy Cross.

In return, the Tornadoes gives Hanover some perks, such as the 12 season tickets that managers can use to reward employees. On two nights last season, Hanover sponsored outings for its employees and their families at the ballpark. The company has planned more such nights for this season. In addition, Hanover donated hundreds of tickets to non-profit and child outreach organizations last year, a practice it plans to repeat for the 2006 season.

“A world class company needs a world class hometown,” Eppinger says. The Tornadoes took off like a rocket ship.

The people who really thought about this were right; it does help the image of the city.”

To attract other companies for employee gatherings, the team maintains a tent on the left field sideline. It also is stepping up its marketing efforts with local businesses.

Expanding media presence A big part of growing the Tornadoes name recognition rests in the media deals it has struck over the Winter. continues on page 26

CanAm League 2005 Attendance Team Brockton Rox: Quebec Les Capitales: Worcester Tornadoes: New Jersey Jackals: North Shore Spirit: New Haven County Cutters: Elmira Pioneers: The Grays (Road team only)

Attendance 190,675 156,663 124,745 122,092 110,633 67,607 62,743 n/a

Dates 49 46 48 50 49 49 52 n/a

Average 3,891 3,406 2,599 2,422 2,208 1,380 1,207 n/a

Note: The Sussex Skyhawks and Nashua Pride will replace Elmira and The Grays in the 2006 season. Source: Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball www.wbjournal.com

May 15, 2006 • Worcester Business Journal

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F E AT U R E

Continued from page 17

The team negotiated a five-station radio deal that cuts a wide swath across Central Mass. Included in this arrangment: an AM and FM radio presence in Worcester and an AM presence in Framingham, Gardner and Southbridge. The move ensures potential listeners from Springfield to Boston, says Marlin. The Tornadoes insist that they’ll have no trouble selling the radio spots.

Even more notable, the team has signed an 18-game television broadcast contract with Charter. That makes it one of the few minor league organizations to have a television presence. That outreach, says Marlin, will go a long way to making the team a household name.

The radio and TV spots give the organization a chance to expand on their existing sponsorship packages, which include such options as full-page ads in programs ($2,750), onfield promotion activities ($3,000), and outfield

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billboards ($10,000) – just to give a few examples.

Stone says the media deals “validate our existence.” He adds: “To have these sophisticated media relationships so early is a tribute to the sophistication of the market here. There are one or two teams that have radio in the CanAm League, but we are lapping the field when it comes to television.”

Competition for bush league dollars As far as competition is concerned, the Tornadoes aren’t concerned with other minor league teams like the Lowell Spinners or Pawtucket Red Sox. But other entertainment providers, such as concerts and movie theatres, pose more of a threat. Says Stone: “We have that competitive fire in the belly, but it’s not against one competitor.”

Putting together a winning team is the best way to compete, he says, and the Tornadoes have gone a long way to insuring that success by retaining their

Worcester Business Journal • May 15, 2006

field manager, Rich Gedman. The former Red Sox catcher was voted the CanAm League’s manager of the year last season, and is very popular with fans.

As for the overall quality of play, Dan Moushon, president of the CanAm league, claims that it’s better than in many leagues where teams are affiliated with major league clubs. As he explains it, affiliated clubs tend to emphasize rehabilitation and training for big league players. For example, he says, if Red Sox ace Curt Schilling goes to Pawtucket for a rehab stint, the focus of the Assistant General Manager Jorg Bassiacos says the only team will be on Schilling rebuilding regret he has with joining the Tornadoes was that he his pitching skills rather than on the waited 20 years to do so. team winning the game. Although seeing Schilling would be a potential “They’re still introducing people to draw for some fans, Moushon says, the the team, but there’s a lot of work to be level of competition drops. In an indedone,” Wolff says. “The first year is pendent league, there are no rehab or always the honeymoon year where peopractice stints. As a result, the goal is to ple will be coming out to the games, but win games, which Moushon says resyou need to keep their attention.” onates with the fans. “Here, everyone But the strong momentum that the plays to win,” he says.

Tornadoes established in 2005, manageThis season could well determine the ment believes, should position them Tornadoes’ fate down the line, observes well in 2006 as they look to build Miles Wolff, the CanAm league commisWorcester into a franchise city. sioner and author of a book on the recent Kenneth J. St. Onge can be reached at history of independent league baseball. kstonge@wbjournal.com

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