Sonju, Stehlik to take Frisco reins
McCall was brought in by the RoughRiders' owners, Mandalay Sports Entertainment, to build the club from the ground up and has achieved significant results, including a top-10 attendance ranking in all of minor league baseball in each of the club's first three seasons, innovative sponsorship packages and award winning customer service programs. Mandalay and McCall had set a five-year time frame from his hiring for launching and building the club, which will be complete following this season. McCall's success has been noted by Mandalay and the sports marketing community.
"Mike was definitely the right guy at the right time," said Mandalay President of Business Operations Howard Nuchow. "In addition to building a club, we asked him to develop a top notch front office team. Scott and Brent have grown significantly under Mike's leadership and are ready to take charge."
Sonju will assume the President/GM title with Stehlik serving as COO. Both have been instrumental in the growth of the RoughRiders, and will benefit from McCall's presence and input throughout the remainder of this season and beyond as he will remain available to the organization.
Sonju is a name well known in area sports circles as his father Norm was the founding President of the Dallas Mavericks. Scott Sonju was recruited by the RoughRiders out of the renowned Kellogg School of Management, where he captained the winning team in the A.T. Kearney Global Consulting Challenge. For the past two years, Sonju has led the Riders corporate partnerships, developing and managing some of the sports industries' most admired sponsorship programs. Prior to his time at Kellogg, Sonju served in the Mavericks front office and managed a resort in Upstate New York. His great success with the Riders has been highlighted by tremendous leadership and presentation skills, unquestioned loyalty to clients and a true team spirit.
Stehlik is one of the top young ticket sales executives in sports, having earned high marks while helping sales efforts for the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL), Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) and St. Pete Times Forum for four years. He has made his mark in Frisco as the Vice President of Sales, leading his team to outstanding results in suite, season, group and individual game sales. His determination, loyalty and character have made him a highly regarded and sought after sports executive.
"The time is right for these young execs to take their seats at the head of the table," said McCall. "We've accomplished virtually everything I had hoped we could when I came on board, and though I'll be sad to leave Dr Pepper Ballpark, I know the RoughRiders are in excellent hands."
Sonju and Stehlik will continue to work alongside of McCall for the remainder of the season, and begin to set strategy for future years.
"While any business thrives on success, Mandalay has been fortunate to measure that success beyond attendance numbers and sponsorship," said Nuchow. "The growth of the industry is firmly rooted in the ability to attract, cultivate and grow front office talent. With Scott and Brent, as well as others in the Riders front office, we have a great team that grew tremendously during Mike's five years with the club."