Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleNew president on board with the 51s
Drew Dondero pledges commitment to community
Saturday, June 5, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
Drew Dondero considers his interaction with Southern Nevada residents the most enjoyable part of his move to Las Vegas from Detroit six months ago.
“It’s actually surprising how easy it is to talk to people,” Dondero said. “Everyone moved from somewhere and is in the same situation.”
Dondero hopes connecting with the community is something that will continue to come easy in his new role as president of the Las Vegas 51s. The 51s, the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, announced this week that Dondero would step into the role that Don Logan has occupied for the last decade.
Logan will retain his title as general manager and minority owner. He will work closely with Dondero, who has been involved with the 51s from afar since the Stevens Baseball Group purchased the team in 2008.
But Dondero said the owners decided it was time to have a daily presence around the 51s and Cashman Field. That’s why Dondero, who has worked for the Stevens Group for the last 20 years ago, took on the president role.
“We are a company that has always been hands-on,” Dondero said. “That’s one thing we really identified, that we need to be here and working with the operations.”
For the rest of this season, not much will change. Dondero said he would primarily spend his time learning from Logan and beginning to formulate a major marketing and advertising push.
Logan said he understood the change and was supportive of it.
“It’s the ownership,” Logan said. “They wanted to have one of their guys who had worked for them involved in the situation here. I had only been involved with them for a few years.”
The 51s are in the middle of their 28th season this year, easily making the franchise the longest-running Las Vegas professional sports team in history.
The 51s average season attendance in that span is about 330,000. But Dondero thinks Las Vegas is capable of more and will take steps to increase the number.
“We have a very strong commitment to the community,” Dondero said. “We are only successful if the community is successful.”
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- UNLV can move forward without the burden of losing streak to San Diego State
- A wife’s wisdom shows birth control issue needn’t be divisive
- Surprise links, negotiated deals addressed by commissioners
- Motorcycle accident claims life of man in northeast valley
- Hope and change and … what’s missing?
- New York mayor has the right idea
- We don’t need a CEO in charge
- Paying our own way
- Country has ‘given’ citizens a lot
- Jerry Tarkanian: Mike Moser impresses yet again on a day to remember former Rebel greats
Blogs
The Kats Report
Color from scene at Thomas & Mack: We have a wire job! Rebels win, and Louie Armstrong sings!
South Point owner Michael Gaughan's take on 'Vegas Stripped': 'I'll give it an 8' (4 Comments)
Author relishes writing the life story of ‘larger-than-life’ Oscar Goodman (3 Comments)
Elsewhere
Landowner: All roads could lead to Uxbridge casino
Revel reveals smoke-free casino opening
Cirque du Soleil show in Sands China casino to close this month
Meet the woman behind Sheldon Adelson
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Dondero is going to need a great deal of help from Don Logan
Mr. Dondero, Las Vegas is capable of responding, but the truth is that Vegas has outgrown AAA baseball. You compare Vegas with other cities that have AAA baseball and it doesn't even come close. Reno having a team is definitely a case in point.
Getting the NBA and NHL in Vegas would pale in comparison to having an MLB team.
Just thought I'd mention it....
Don Logan is the best. Stevens Media (The RJ) is trying to blow up this town. They are suing every web site that looks at them sideways, now blowing up a Las Vegas legend in Logan. I know Don will still be there, but this aint right to do this to him.
We all want a MLB team in Vegas. The best way to make that happen is to send a message to the league by packing Cashman every game to show how this town can support a franchise.
It will be very hard to fill Don Logan's shoes. I wonder how much money Stevens Baseball Group will waste in figuring out this market when DL already knows the game. It doesn't make good business sense. Dondero would be beginning from ground zero where DL has the connections, community support and the business acumen to take Vegas to the majors, if given full authority.