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“When you’re not enjoying the success that you were used to you start to question that a little bit,” said Andy Milovich (Milo), President and General Manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. This is a sentiment that many leaders feel at some point in their careers and for pivotal leaders, it’s this type of moment that inspires leaders to leap forward and take risk. And it’s what motivated Andy to take on his current role – to see get out of his comfort zone and take a risk with a new team in a new city. Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, Andy, the son of a little league coach, had a dream to play short stop for the Chicago Cubs. At age 25 he was one of the youngest general managers in baseball who eventually became President and General Manager for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the affiliate team for the Chicago Cubs. In this episode, you will learn his philosophy on how to create a “play it forward” culture for employees, fans and the community based on the core values of fun, family and purpose. Andy will do almost anything to inspire community involvement, including getting a prostrate exam in front of 6,600 people!
Topics Include:
- Fostering a culture based on the core values of purpose, fun, family and community
- Being a “community owned baseball stadium” as a way to engage and give back to motivate people to come out and spend time with family and friends.
- The importance to be willing to put yourself out there as a leader to have some fun … like getting a prostrate exam in front of 6,600 people and broadcasted over the world to raise awareness for prostrate cancer
- How the Pelicans organically and unintentionally increased attendance by 26% through community investment and involvement
- Leveraging the brand of the Chicago Cubs to grow the popularity of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans while playing a part in driving tourism from the Midwest
- Being successful by delivering an experience to fans (customers) in a short amount of time at an affordable price
- The importance of personal development opportunities for employees from health/wellness programs to personal financial planning resources, plus other perks like free meals and game tickets
The 2016 season is Andy’s twenty-sixth in professional baseball. His first professional baseball experience came as an intern with the Midwest League’s South Bend White Sox in 1990. After completing the Sport Management Graduate Program at the University of Georgia in the spring of 1993, Andy spent six months as the Marketing & Operations Coordinator for the Tucson Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League and helped out with the PCL’s Tucson Toros that summer.
Andy was named Vice President and General Manager of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans on December 22, 2012, following 18 years with Palisades Baseball. On January 14, 2015, Milovich was promoted to the role of President and General Manager of the Pelicans. The life-long Cubs fan enjoyed the opportunity to open three new stadiums during his Palisades tenure.
Milovich was the recipient of The Sporting News Minor League Executive of the Year following the franchise’s third consecutive New York-Penn League attendance record during the 1997 season. He earned the New York-Penn League Executive of the Year Award following a New York-Penn League record setting 203,000 fans in 38 dates during the Scrappers 2000 campaign. Prior to joining the SeaWolves, he served as the Director of Stadium Operations with the Madison Hatters, the St. Louis Cardinals former Class A Midwest League franchise.
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