PRESS RELEASE – The Boise Hawks Baseball Club (Class A Northwest League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies) are proud to announce that Agon Sports & Entertainment has officially acquired the team from Neil Leibman and his ownership group, Minor League Holdings, LLC.
Agon Sports and Entertainment was established in 2012 by Chris Schoen and Jeff Eiseman as a holdings and sports management company overseeing minor league sports opportunities, world class entertainment venues and event production. Agon acquired their first franchise in November 2012, the Augusta GreenJackets, the Class-A South Atlantic League affiliate of the San Francisco Giants and later acquired one of the most iconic music venues in the country, the Georgia Theatre in Athens, GA.
As Agon’s President, Jeff Eiseman will oversee the team and serve as League Director. The organization has retained the existing staff, including President Todd Rahr. The team hired Bob Flannery as the new General Manager of the team. Flannery, a native of South Hadley, Massachusetts, was most recently the General Manager of Learfield Sports’ University of Massachusetts athletics property. Flannery has over 15 years of experience in Minor League Baseball, most recently as the General Manager of Agon’s Augusta GreenJackets franchise
from 2012-2013 with stints in Hagerstown, Maryland and Midland, Texas.
“We have been looking forward to this day since our discussions began with Neil late last winter. Today begins a new era of baseball in Boise. There is much work ahead. We do not plan to sit idle until the season. We will immediately be active in the community and making investments into Memorial Stadium and the game day experience for our fans this season and beyond,” said Agon President Jeff Eiseman. “We not only have a vision, we have a plan to make Boise one of the premier baseball markets in the country. It won’t be overnight, but it will be transformative and the work starts today.”
Eiseman has a rich history as a baseball executive, spending 20 years in various management capacities for Mandalay Sports Entertainment and Ripken Baseball. Under his previous leadership at Ripken, the Aberdeen IronBirds (of the Northwest League’s sister circuit the New York-Pennsylvania League) sold out every game throughout his tenure. Eiseman also led a one of the most successful launches in Florida State League history with the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs.
Owner and Managing Partner Chris Schoen has spent the bulk of his career in real estate development. From 1996 through 2011, he co-owned and operated Barry Real Estate companies, developing over four-million square feet of office and mixed use development throughout the Southeastern United States. In 2006, Schoen was co-partner of Hardball Capital, which purchased and managed the Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League. Schoen through Barry Real Estate developed the stadium, parking and mixed used development at Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, IN. Hardball Capital also owned the Salem Avalanche in the Carolina League and the Savannah Sand Gnats in the South Atlantic League.
“Our first step is to speak to our fans and sponsors and see what’s working and what isn’t. We are going to be more active this off-season than I imagine the club has in a long time and our fans will notice that difference instantly. I promise we’ll make you proud of your Hawks and see a renewed spirit and commitment. 2015 is just the first step,” said Eiseman.
The Boise Hawks began operations in 1987 when the Tri-City Triplets relocated to the Treasure Valley. The club started off as an independent team but has been an affiliated team since 1990, starting with the now Los Angeles Angels from 1990 – 2001 before switching affiliations to the Chicago Cubs which ended at the end of the 2014 season. Starting in 2015, the Boise Hawks will be Colorado Rockies affiliate giving the Hawks their first regional affiliation in franchise history.
In the team’s history the Hawks have won the Northwest League six times and have finished as Division Champions 10 times. Prior to the sale of the team to Agon, the team had three previous ownership groups.
The Boise Hawks start the 2015 season at Memorial Stadium against the Tri-City Dust Devils (San Diego Padres) on Friday, June 18th. All Boise Hawks ticket packages are on sale now for the 2015 season. For more information, including pricing and benefits, visit BoiseHawks.com or contact the Boise Hawks Front Office at (208) 322-5000.
Opening Day 2015 for The Boise Hawks begins on Friday, June 18th. Seating for the 2015 season can be purchased by calling the Boise Hawks at (208) 322-5000 or at BoiseHawks.Com.
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