Brandon Caron is ready to get his professional baseball career rolling.
In the front office, that is.
Caron, 30, a 2010 Gardiner Area High School graduate, is the new assistant general manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays.
The Fisher Cats, who play in Manchester, New Hampshire, are a rival of the Portland Sea Dogs.
“It’s a dream-come-true type of moment,” said Caron, who was born in Jackman. “Growing up in Gardiner, I wanted to be in sports my entire career and now getting that opportunity with a professional sports organization. I’m really, really excited, both for the opportunity, but also the time in the organization. There’s some changes in the front office; there’s a huge investment here in the experience at the ballpark, both for fans and the players. We’re going through an offseason renovation, new seating areas, upgraded clubhouses, new lighting, really an investment in the health and safety of players and fans.”
Caron credited former athletic director Steve Ouellette in helping him see first-hand how sporting events were put together. Caron continued his education at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, where he received his bachelor’s degree in sports management. He then earned a master’s degree in sports leadership from Northeastern University in Boston.
“It (started) in high school,” Caron said. “I was never born with much in the way of athletic ability, which was set early on. While I participated (in sports) to have fun and learn teamwork, I recognized that being a (professional) player was not going to be in my future. So I actually got involved with (Ouellette) and got involved with scheduling buses, helping (public address) announce and help produce our high school sports and I really re-fell in love with sports again, seeing what it takes to put on athletic events. It kind of started there, went off to New Haven, got into sports management and worked in our athletic department there. Ever since, I’ve always been in live sports and entertainment.”
Gardiner Area High School graduate Brandon Caron is the new assistant general manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Photo courtesy of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The ballpark experience is one of Caron’s top job priorities. A minor league baseball team isn’t just a chance for MLB’s future talent to play, but it’s also a business, one that counts on promotions to bring in fans. For Caron, that’s overseeing nearly every aspect of what goes into the daily operation of a minor league baseball club. from the hiring and training of stadium staff, concessions, in-game production and special events.
“I think the game-day experience is core to everything we do,” Caron said. “Some of that is multifaceted. Major League Baseball’s commitment to shortening games certainly helps. The pitch clock and all these new initiatives that help speed the game up and build more action on the field. We’re lucky to have a great development partner in the Toronto Blue Jays. (They) provide us with a lot of great, young prospects that come through here, many of which have already gone on to the Major Leagues, like Vlad Guerrero, Jr. and Cavan Biggio.
“That player roster does fluctuate, and there’s nothing we can really do to control that,” Caron continued. “But that’s what makes all the other aspects of game day the best. Making sure we have a good food and beverage partner, making grabbing a snack and something to drink at the ballpark easy. Being thoughtful in the in-game promotions that we’re doing, that are active for our sponsors but also give that entertainment that everybody loves to see… Just really making sure that those elements that we can control are a great entertainment value for families to come out to the ballpark.”
Caron’s responsibilities also include the physical management of Delta Dental Stadium, the Fisher Cats’ ballpark that underwent recent renovations, including new LED stadium lights, in-stadium wireless internet, a dinner area behind home plate and a patio area beyond the bullpen area. The job also includes overseeing community relations.
“That’s one of the things I look forward to the most with this job,” Caron said. “Taking this professional baseball (team) and the stadium and making that attainable for people in the community. Whether that’s a stem day for school groups to come to the park, whether that’s our baseball series, donating tickets to local little leagues, meeting business owners. Just bringing some life between the ballpark and the community and finding different ways we can get people involved.”
Caron’s background fits his latest role. Before his hiring with the Fisher Cats, Caron spent a year as the assistant general manager of the MGM Fenway Music Hall, a 5,000-seat music venue owned by the Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox. Caron will have similar responsibilities with the Fisher Cats — overseeing fan experience, facilities management, security, food and beverage and merchandising. Before his time at MGM Fenway, Caron worked a variety of roles for Spectacle Live, a New England event promoter. Caron also served as a marketing associate for nearly three years with the Boston Bruins.
“A lot of joy and passion come from that,” Caron said. “When you open the gates and see people come into your facility, first of all, it’s a different crowd every night. It’s a chance to meet all different types of people. But two, it’s just understanding that sports and entertainment provide such a release for people from their daily lives. Whether it’s a happy moment, a sad moment, whatever it is. The fact that we can come together as a group in that one night and have a great time together as a community at that event is something that really makes me happy and I get a lot of passion and pride out of that.”
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