In Leaving Blue Wahoos For New Challenge, Vice President Of Sales Alex Sides Grateful For All He Learned 

Alex Sides walked into the Blue Wahoos front office staff meeting Sunday with the same familiar smile, but with varying emotions.

The final game of a homestand on July 31 was the last one for Sides as the team’s vice president of sales. He will begin a new job in mid-August as the director of group sales for the Miami Heat.

He joined the Blue Wahoos in October 2018, after spending the previous four years as the Miami Heat’s ticket sales account manager.

“It is definitely bittersweet, because I love it here,” said Sides, a native of Eureka, Illinois, who has spent his entire career in the professional sports team business. “I love everything I have been provided here and it helped me grow and develop my skill set, which enabled me to take on this new job.

“Before coming here and learning all I have in these four years, I would have never had a chance at this position back in Miami,” said Sides, hours before the final Blue Wahoos game he worked when team closed out the week against the Mississippi Braves. “I’m excited to take on a new challenge and get back to the NBA and a major four (sports leagues) category, But it is definitely bittersweet.

“In Miami, I will be back with some of my old co-workers and my former boss, so it’s a great step forward in my career. This is one of those things where I am excited to move on, but not excited move on because of the great experience here.”

Under Sides’ leadership, along with assistance from team president Jonathan Griffith, the Blue Wahoos have grown annual group sales revenue by $300,000. This year, for the first time in franchise history, the Blue Wahoos surpassed $1 million in group sales.

For a Minor League Baseball team, that is a phenomenal number. That milestone revenue mark was attained just two years after the Blue Wahoos had their entire 2020 season cancelled, along with all Minor League Baseball levels, due to the onslaught of the coronavirus world pandemic.

A year ago, when baseball returned, but under a reduced schedule that didn’t start until mid-May, Sides said the Blue Wahoos hit $800,000 in group sales, which was a proud goal to attain.

“This year, it really snowballed,” said Sides, who will oversee a staff of six with the MIami Heat. “We have a couple new people in place and we doubled down on the output and the work. We worked with Jonathan to put in a great strategy and that enabled us to grow $200,000 in sales.”

Sides credits the training opportunities and mentor programs provided by team majority owners Quint and Rishy Studer, along with the ownership team of Bubba Watson, Derrick Brooks, Randall Wells, John List and Dana Suskind.

“When you of the Blue Wahoos, the entire ownership group really models that,” Sides said. “They make it happen. And that is how they have been so successful. So, for me to sit back and watch that the last four years, has been wonderful. That is something I will carry to Miami.

“The way we were able to mold our sales them, they really bought on to our system and the way things are run with the Blue Wahoos to be successful.”

One major area of advancement in group sales has been with youth baseball and softball teams throughout the Gulf Coast region. The Blue Wahoos have hosted youth teams from as far east as Panama City, two hours away, all the way west to Mississippi and Louisiana. Teams from the Mobile area, which includes Baldwin County and Gulf Shores, Alabama have been frequent guests of the in-game experience.

“We really put in the work ahead of time,” Sides said. “We went to opening ceremonies for as many youth teams as we could to get contacts and make that happen.”

In addition to taking on a new job, Sides has another big moment ahead in his life. He and his fiancé, Holly, are set to get married in March 2023. For the time being, she will remain in Pensacola while Sides settles into his job and navigates finding a place to live in the Miami area.

His four years with the Blue Wahoos have taught Sides the importance of building a community relationship, something Quint and Rishy Studer have thrived in achieving. Sides said he admired the Studers’ strong belief in improving the quality of life in Pensacola and bringing family-friendly entertainment within a Minor League Baseball game experience.

“With the Blue Wahoos, yes, it’s a business and obviously you need to make money, but it is also about taking care of the community and taking care of your staff members,” Sides said. “We saw that firsthand in 2020 when Quint and Rishy decided to ensure everyone in the front office was kept on payroll when other teams were cutting most of the front office.

“That is something I will really takeaway from working here with the Blue Wahoos. Yes, you try and run a successful business, but at the same time, your employees are your community members, your colleagues. They are the focal point. And you make decisions based on that, while trying to run a successful business.

“I will try and translate as much as I can from here to the Miami Heat on a bigger scale. I’ve learned when you have fun in what you are doing and the (financial) numbers will come your way.”