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Youngstown Hockey Team Introduces New GM
"By Dan O'BrienLIBERTY, Ohio -- There must have been something -- or someone -- Grant Buckborough saw in the Mahoning Valley that lured him away from the six-figure salary he was earning in the Rio Grande Valley."One of the reasons I'm here is the man sitting next to me," said the new general manager of Youngstown's new Central Hockey League team as he gestured toward franchise owner Herb Washington. Buckborough was introduced as the team's new general manager Wednesday during a press conference at the Holiday Inn Metroplex.Buckborough said Washington's enthusiasm and vision of using the team to improve the quality of life here was one of the factors that convinced him the team will work in Youngstown, and helped persuade him to take the job. "We'll make a difference in the community and we'll be active in the community," he said.The new general manager was responsible for helping launch the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the Central Hockey League franchise in Hidalgo, Texas. As assistant manager and director of ticket sales, he was responsible for marketing and ticket sales not only for a brand-new team, but a new facility that mirrors the Youngstown Convocation Center, under construction in Youngstown."We're going to market this as family entertainment," he said, not just hockey."Washington was looking for someone with extensive experience with the CHL -- mostly someone involved with a start-up team -- and was elated when Buckborough accepted the position. "Grant was my first pick and I was in shock," he said.Although Washington declined to provide particulars on Buckborough's salary, he allowed it will be less than what his new general manager earned in Hildago, which he added was "in the six figures." He also said the general manager's contract contains incentive clauses based on performance.The Youngstown team is expected to take to the ice next fall, once the convocation center is complete. The structural steel skeleton is being put up.Buckborough, 33, is no stranger to hockey. Growing up in Niagara Falls, Ontario, he said he became enthralled with the sport at the age of 3, but he admits he was a marginal player. After graduating from college, he took a position in his father's corporation before leaving seven years ago to join the fledgling CHL. "I started in Amarillo, Texas, making $13,000 a year," he recalled. "So, I've been through it all and worked my way up."The next step is to formulate a marketing plan directed to business and the community so they'll buy season ticket packages and suites, Buckborough said. Meantime, work continues on a team name, colors and mascot. A head coach for the team, he projected, should be announced in April. Ticket prices for single games will range between $10 and $20.Wayne Davis, president of Global Marketing Inc., a subsidiary of Global Entertainment, which also owns the CHL, said two local companies are competing for naming rights to the new facility. Both companies have presented proposals and he said the proposals will be handed over to the city for consideration.Davis estimated the price for naming rights will be sold for between $2 million and $3 million and be paid over a 10 years. Contact Dan O'Brien at [email protected]"