She’s the closer
Washington Wild Things’ new CEO didn’t think she would last one season
If you asked the new Washington Wild Things CEO if she had expected her career with the baseball team to span 22 years, she would’ve answered with a resounding “no.”
Christine Blaine was on a very different career path.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Grove City College and a master’s degree in English from Edinboro University (now PennWest Edinboro). She taught English, theater and public speaking at Fort LeBoeuf High School in Erie County.
With a master’s degree in corporate communications from Duquesne University, she took a communications job with the Meadows Race Track in Chartiers, Washington County. In September 2001, shewas looking for another job.
Blaine was approached by a former mentor, John Swiatek, who began telling her about a baseball teamcoming to Washington County that wasn’t even close to being announced to the public. The Frontier League had promised Sports Facility LLC that if they wanted to have a team, there would be an expansion if one wasn’t available.
“I thought this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Blaine said.
“I’m not a baseball fan. I probably had been to one or two Pirates games in my entire life. This all came on the heels of PNC Park and Heinz Field being built and that was on the taxpayers’ dime and people were furious. I just thought it was ridiculous.”
A week later, Swiatek called her again, and she realized he wanted her to help him with this new baseball team.
To convince her, he drove her up to Falconi Field in North Franklin. Though there wasn’t a road built yet, the field was there and cement had been poured. Soon, 3,200 seats would be installed.
Awestruck by its beauty, Blaine was sold when she learned that the Pirates top relief pitcher from the 1970s and ’80s was involved.
“One of the things that really kind of sealed the deal with me, after I agreed to do this, he sent me to meet with Kent Tekulve to show him the ballpark,” Blaine said.
“He hired Kent Tekulve to be the director of baseball operations. Even though I’m not a baseball fan, I was a Kent Tekulve fan. That’s like being a Ben Roethlisberger fan, whether you like football or not. I was just thrilled that I got to meet him. I was starstruck.”
Blaine was the Wild Things’ first hire after the team was purchased and moved from Canton, Ohio. In late 2001, the team opened a business office at Washington Crown Center.
Her original position was director of marketing and communications. A general manager was hired. A ticket sales person was hired, followed by some more sales professionals. All huddled in this tiny office at the mall.
Falconi Field was ready for the home opener in May 2002.
“We moved in in April,” Blaine said. “To think that they got this puppy built and up and open in less than a year, it’s amazing. It’s absolutely amazing. That’s how I ended up here. It really was a fluke. I honestly never thought I’d be here for a year, let alone 22.”
In the inaugural year of the team, the stadium was always sold out. The team was playing extraordinarily well, finishing its first season as Eastern Division champions with a record of 56-28.
Blaine was so excited because the success was contagious. It also made her job a lot easier.
Though the Wild Things fell short in the championship series to the Richmond (Indiana) Roosters, the future looked bright. She had no idea how they’d top this the following year.
“Kent Tekulve literally took me by the shoulders and said, ‘You cannot sell the performance of the team.’” she said.
“He said ‘you need to understand that this is a rookie league, and we can’t guarantee things like Major League Baseball. What you’re selling is three hours of entertainment. It’s interrupted by nine innings of baseball.’ I have never forgotten that.”
For Blaine, the Wild Things is more than the baseball played there. It’s about the community built while offering an affordable way to watch baseball. The people — coworkers andfans — have kept her here.
She has two major goals. First, she wants the Wild Things to finally win a championship.
The other is a bit more in her realm of control. It goes back to setting attendance records in the first year of the team. The organization was on a high for about six years and then it peaked.
“I don’t think we’ll ever get to operating at 111% capacity on average, but I think that we’re moving toward outperforming what we’ve done,” Blaine said.
“I’d like to see us do that. I’d like to see this place turn a profit. I’d like to see us operate in the black because minor league baseball doesn’t often operate in the black.”
Helping her attain this goal is Travis Pettit, the new chief financial officer of Sports Facility LLC, which is the parent company of the baseball team. He’ll also holds the title of senior vice president of operations for the team.
Pettit started with the Wild Things by working in the concession stand. This will be his ninth season, but fifth in the front office. Blaine has always been Pettit’s go-to person when he had questions, especially since he started in the front office at 19 years old.
“In very loose terms, she would classify probably as my work mom,” he said.
“Working here, you’ve got to get to get along. Seems a lot like a family, like we have our little squabbles but 15 minutes later we’re fine. Working with Chris ... we’re more aligned in our philosophy and our outlook for the organization. What we represent and who we should be outward looking but also who we are internally as an organization.”
Blaine most recently served as vice president of corporate partnerships, which included ticket and sponsorship sales, plus more.
On Jan. 8, Stu Williams, owner of Sports Facility LLC, announced Blaine as the new CEO of the Washington Wild Things.
“I’m still not sure why he named me CEO,” she said. “I know the business pretty much inside and out. Do I need help with things? Yes. I’m not a numbers person.
“The accounting and the budgets are things I really have to spend time and understand. I work with 20-somethings who are really fast on the computer and I’m not. Things like that are challenging for me. But I do know the business and I do know the people and I do know our sponsors. I know this community and I think that’s why he put me in this role.”