Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with the General Manager of the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team: the Frisco RoughRiders, (located in Texas) over the phone.
His name is Andy Milovich and during the awesome interview, I gained a lot of insight from him as well as him telling me some of his tips and knowledge from his years of experience as a general manager over 5 MiLB teams! A little bit about Andy: he’s originally born in South Bend, Indiana and continued his higher education in Indiana, at Valparaiso State University to where he played Divison 1 collegiate baseball.
After he graduated from VSU he attained his masters at the University of Georgia in Education and Sports Management. Though baseball has always been his passion, after he graduated undergrad, he shifted his focus from being on the field to being in the executive office. He’s been the general manager for 5 MiLB teams including the West Virginia Power, Eire Seawolves, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, and now the Frisco RoughRiders. Here are some of the insights I gained from the interview with Andy.
Andy’s job has taken him from coast to coast, and he stated he feels it’s given him some unique opportunities to grow professionally and personally.
His thoughts on moving from state to state so often as an executive over so many MiLB teams has shaped his competitive edge and community-building approach to building franchises: “When I joined the Erie Seawolves in 95, our owner laid out a plan for the next few years that would have me grow into the general manager’s role.” he said. “I think my time on the field and in the clubhouse or the locker room kind of really acclimated me to what it means to have a leader, to follow a game plan, to stay the course and to kind of work at it every day.” Some of his accomplishments included business expansion opening new parks, attaining notable partnerships, and community outreach programs to help build each team’s communities.
I also asked him how he feels about the upcoming opening season around the corner. He was very confident in this season, speaking highly of his organization and staff. “I got here in 2018, so we, you know, we’ve had a lot of change, since I arrived, to some of the things that we’ve been doing in terms of how we approach ticket sales, how we approach sponsorship sales and so forth.” he said.
He also mentioned how family & fan experience is what he likes to focus on, “It’s all about that family experience, and game-day experience that you have here (At the Frisco Stadium), whether that’s with your wife and your kids or your friends on a Thursday night drinking $2 craft beers, or you’re out here as a part of a company outing. Our goal is to provide an incredible fan experience for each and every guest that comes to the ballpark.” he stated.
Andy’s motivation to satisfy his organization’s fans shows through all of the programs they offer with the Frisco RoughRiders: 42 theme nights at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark, 11 giveaways, 9 celebrity appearances, 25 firework shows, RoughRiders Foundation, scholarship programs, and the list goes on and on.
When I asked him what does he feel he specializes in the most, whether that be franchising, negotiations, event management, etc., Andy mentioned that despite all of his attained skills, he enjoys connecting with the community the most. “I really enjoy about this industry is the way that we connect with the community.
You know, when I think about what we did in Myrtle Beach (He’s also the former GM for West Virginia Power MiLB team) with my time there, we served on three different charity boards when I arrived and by the time I left, our staff served up 22 different boards in the community.” Andy said. Social impact is at the essence of sports, and Andy has used this to build life long fans at each location, “I think for me, that’s really what sports are all about, the opportunity to transcend socioeconomic boundaries and bring people together and lift communities exists in sports in a way that it does in very little else.” he stated.
He’s also used his strong community ties to execute great sponsorship opportunities for his organizations, “I think if you look at it from a sales sponsorship standpoint, knowing how to connect with business leaders in the community, understand their business and their goals, their objectives, and then building thoughtful, creative sponsorship platforms for them to execute their strategy in the ballpark and connect with the community that we’ve developed as fans is really what I thrive on.” Andy said.
This is powerful & it is obviously a long term game. His approach to executive management pays longer-term dividends for Frisco RoughRiders as a brand. Considering Andy has to reach so many different markets and niches to engage long-time and new baseball fans, he develops plans to included everyone who could potentially become a life-time lover of MiLB in his planning considerations as a GM. “Everybody that engages with sports does it for similar reasons.
The thrill of the competition, to take a break from the day to day grind and stresses of life, to turn off the news and come out here and enjoy an evening with your son or your daughter or with your coworkers, your friends.” he said. Andy even mentioned this is his similar approach to connecting with the RoughRiders corporate partners and sponsors.
I also questioned Andy on what drives him, basically what is the caffeine that keeps him going even when things become challenging and ambiguous? I quickly found that he was very intrinsically motivated, “For me, just like a lot of people that are successful in business or in sports, it’s your drive…and your drive is driven by that competition, and that win, whether that’s daily or weekly or on a season basis.” Andy said.
The executive sports world is tough, but his Why is pure and keeps him going and hyper-competitive, “I think those types of people are driven by the greater sense of purpose and a why (He’s referring to his organization and staff). And for me, that’s about connecting with the community, making a difference in the world through sports.”
I asked him about self-development and what he reads, one of his favorite books is Simmon Sink’s Start With Why and how his Why has always fueled his purpose. Andy mentioned that he has high hopes for the future of MiLB in Frisco and for his career as a sports executive. He also stated that his biggest lesson for anyone who struggles with leadership or self-development is to build relationships with the right people.
“For people getting started in the industry, there was a book that I read a while ago called “Your Network, Is Your Network.” On the surface, some people might misinterpret that to mean, “You’ve got to know somebody to get a job that pays you well.” he said. “I think “Your network, is your network” is more about the people that you know, the resource that they become for you throughout your career, from a relationship standpoint.” Andy said.
He draws the wisdom and insights from his relationships and uses it when he needs to bring people on board for various projects, “(whether)… you’re looking to navigate your own career or you’re looking for mentors and advice so that you can grow and learn from somebody who’s been there and done that” he said.
These relationships offer a compounding interest type of effect in the future his viewpoint, “The most menial tasks in the world or the most challenging situations in the world by throwing yourself into them and working side by side with others in the industry and learning will have a profound impact on you down the road.” Andy said.
Whether Andy’s thinking about future of the RoughRiders, partnership opportunities or community involvement: he seems to feed off a deep inner well of purpose & clarity– and for all of his success, he still has big plans not just for his organization but for his newfound city in Frisco, TX. “I’m not sure what the future holds for me but, I really enjoyed the move to Frisco, the opportunity to work in a much bigger, much more diverse, much more thoughtful, and complex market.”
He leans forward in his chair, contemplating how to expand the RoughRiders not just for the brand, but for the emphasis on the betterment of the community. “I’d just like to keep building on that success and whatever comes my way, we’ll tackle it as it comes.” Andy finishes with.