IronPigs Announce Staff Promotions
Lehigh Valley IronPigs' President and General Manager Kurt Landes announced a trio of staff promotions, effectively immediately. Howard Scharf has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Assistant General Manager while Lindsey Knupp and Jon Schaeffer have been elevated to Vice President, Marketing & Entertainment and Vice President, Media & Communications, respectively.
Howard Scharf has overseen the IronPigs' Ticketing Department since the club's inception and has played an invaluable role in the team's long-term success at the gates. In fact, the IronPigs are the only club in the Minors to surpass 600,000 fans annually since 2008. Since debuting, the IronPigs have now drawn 4,982,392 fans to Coca-Cola Park and averaged 9,009 per regular season home game - a number that significantly exceeds Coca-Cola Park's fixed seating capacity of 8,089. Scharf also is a board member for IronPigs Charities - a non-profit organization that has donated more than $750,000 to various non-profits that provide educational and recreational opportunities for Lehigh Valley youth. The Philadelphia native has over 20 years' experience working in the amusement and family entertainment business. Scharf is a graduate of Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa.
Lindsey Knupp recently completed her 11th season overall, and eighth season with the IronPigs, as the club's Director of Promotions and Entertainment and also serves as a board member for IronPigs Charities. Under her direction, the IronPigs have developed and maintained the strongest promotional schedule in Minor League Baseball and have captured Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Promo of the Year" award for a series of successful recent promotions as well as GameOps.com's "Best Game Operations and Presentation" award. The IronPigs' forward-thinking promotions have been highlighted in numerous national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Sports Illustrated. In her new role, Knupp will now oversee the Community Relations and Multimedia Design efforts of the IronPigs in addition to her current responsibilities handling promotions and entertainment. Lindsey is a graduate of Shippensburg (Pa.) University where she was a two-time All American and captain of the varsity field hockey team after graduating from nearby Northampton High School.
Jon Schaeffer has over a decade of experience in the media and broadcast journalism fields and also recently completed his eighth season with the IronPigs in 2015. He's been at the helm of one of Minor League Baseball's most progressive digital media departments and developed and launched the first social media command center in Minor League Baseball. The IronPigs' website is among the most visited in all of Minor League Baseball while the team also ranks highly throughout various social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Earlier this year, the Penn State grad was named by Lehigh Valley Business as a "Forty under 40" recipient. In his newly expanded role, Schaeffer will oversee the club's media and communications efforts while continuing to serve as a radio broadcaster with the club.
The IronPigs 2016 home opener is slated for Thursday, April 14 at 7:05 p.m. against the Pawtucket Red Sox and the 2016 ticket plan renewal process is currently underway. Those interested in purchasing a new full season, 36-game or 18-game ticket package for next season may call (610) 841-PIGS (7447) for more information or to secure their plan today.
The 2015 IronPigs baseball season is presented by Capital BlueCross.