Ken Babby became the Owner and CEO of Jacksonville’s Minor League Baseball club in September 2015, and introduced the team’s new identity as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Nov. 2, 2016. Babby, 40, is the youngest multi-team professional sports owner, owning the Akron RubberDucks since October 2012. Prior to then, the Potomac, Maryland, native spent 13 years in marketing positions with The Washington Post and its online and social media counterparts. He was named one of Sports Business Journal's 2016 "Forty Under 40," recognizing excellence and innovation in sports business careers, and he was an Entrepreneur of the Year® 2017 Award winner.
In the inaugural season as the Jumbo Shrimp, attendance increased by more than 61,000 – the most of any Double-A ballpark and a Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville-record 23 percent – to more than 325,000. The team won the Southern League’s Organization of the Year and Promotional Trophy.
Babby has invested more than $1.8 million into the Baseball Grounds, adding the Budweiser Tiki Terrace, renovating all the private luxury suites on the Suite Level, developing the Hot Corner group hospitality area, expanding the suite-level lounge and improving other ballpark areas.
Babby’s two-fold mission is to create a memorable, unique, affordable and enjoyable fan experience, and maximize the opportunity to create change in the community through charitable, wellness and education initiatives. Babby is a Trustee Chair of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and on the Jacksonville University Board of Trustees, Baptist Hospitals of Florida Board of Directors, Chair, Visit Jacksonville, and Flagler College Business Advisory Board. He is also the chair of the Baseball Internet Rights Company (BIRCO). Ken is married to his wife, Liz, and has a 12-year-old son, Josh.