Echols
promoted to President/GM; Mike Veeck named President Emeritus
CHARLESTON, SC – Marv
Goldklang, Chairman and principal owner of the Charleston RiverDogs, has
announced that Dave Echols has been promoted to President & General Manager
of the club, effective immediately. Fomer club President Mike Veeck, who served
as the RiverDogs’ president since 1997 and who guided the team during its most
successful years, will continue his involvement with the team as President
Emeritus.
“Dave has proven to be one
of Minor League Baseball’s most talented and successful executives during his
tenure as general manager and under his operational leadership, the RiverDogs
have experienced unprecedented success,” said Goldklang.
“Dave is a true
professional who has become an integral and influential member of the
Charleston community outside the ballpark gates,” he added. “We have every confidence that his transition
to this larger role will be seamless and result in ever-deepening ties between
the team and the Lowcountry.”
Echols, who held the title
of Executive Vice-President & General Manager for the past two years and
served as the team’s general manager since 2004, will continue to oversee all
operations of the club. Under Echols’ leadership, the RiverDogs have been
honored with multiple industry awards for excellence in promotions, marketing
and ballpark operations and in 2015, established an all-time attendance record
as 292,661 fans passed through the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park turnstiles. Echols twice has been named Executive of the
Year in the South Atlantic League.
Echols enters his 25th
season in professional baseball, a career that began in 1992 as an intern with
the Fayetteville (NC) Generals of the South Atlantic League. During the course of his time in baseball, he
has served in various capacities including that of director of marketing for
the AAA Columbus (OH) team of the International League.
He joined the RiverDogs in
1999 as an assistant general manager, and departed in 2002 to become general
manager of the Brockton (MA) Rox of the Northeast League, and was honored in
2003 as Executive of the Year of that league.
He returned to Charleston as general manager in 2004 and now begins his
16th season with the RiverDogs, this time as president.
“I am indeed apppreciative
of the continued support of Marv Goldklang and everyone affiliated with The
Goldklang Group,” said Echols. “Under Marv and Mike Veeck’s leadership, the
RiverDogs have flourished, developing extremely strong roots in the community
and making The Joe THE place to be. I am
both proud and honored to be handed the reins.”
Echols, 45, is a native of
Delaware, Ohio and a graduate of the Universiyt of Dayton. He and his wife, the former Debra Glenn, are
the parents of a son, Logan, who is 4.
Veeck, son of legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Bill
Veeck, will continue to teach sports management courses as a visiting professor
at The Citadel, where he has been since 2008. He also remains involved with The
Goldklang Group as president and co-owner of the St. Paul Saints in the
independent American Association of Professional Baseball.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)