Justin Lamontagne introduced his good friend Geoff Iacuessa. Justin met Geoff when he was an intern at the Sea Dogs. Geoff began his career with the team as an intern, also, in 2001 and was later hired as Director of Group Sales. He was promoted to President & General Manager of the Portland Sea Dogs on September 10, 2018. He said it was a combination of hard work and luck. When someone left the company, Geoff volunteered to do extra and just kept adding experience to build his career.
Geoff told us that when he was looking for an intern position, his advisors told him “The next bad thing I hear about the Sea Dogs will be the first one.” Geoff says he always felt the advisor was right. Minor league ball is interesting because the Red Sox makes all the player decisions and the Sea Dogs are responsible for providing good training, taking care of the players, promotions and the business side of things.
Dan Burke, the original owner, brought the team to Portland in 1994. Dan made all his decisions based on what was best for the players, the community and the staff. Geoff says this is not the case for all teams in the minors. The Sea Dogs are at the lower end of ticket prices and at the top in attendance. Dan Burke and now the present owners, wanted to make it a good family experience, which families can afford. When they are making decisions on promotions, there is an important criterion....they never want to create an awkward moment between parent and child.
The Sea Dogs have an excellent relationship with the city and the community. They are very happy with the excellent Portland facility and want to be an excellent tenant for the city. In Portland, any player who wants to live with a family has that opportunity, and most players do so. This is very rare across the minor league cities. It’s a great opportunity for the players, as well as the families. Geoff has seen several families/players where the relationship lasts many years longer than the player’s stay in town.
The Sea Dogs try to create a great experience for all who attend, even those who are not baseball fans. Some come for the game....some for the food....some to see Slugger....and some for the fireworks. People enjoy the stunts on the field. Some even come to watch baseball. Most importantly, they leave with a smile on their face.
Weather is the biggest challenge. There are 71 home opportunities to make money on attendance, concessions and souvenirs. Every time weather interferes, it’s more difficult to make it all work. Geoff says you just have to accept the weather and respond in the best way possible.
We are lucky to have Geoff and are definitely lucky to have the Sea Dogs in Portland.
(Photo L-R: 2nd VP Ellen Niewoehner, Geoff Iacuessa and Justin Lamontagne.)