Jay Miller

Jay Miller

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Thursday, 01 May 2008

Jay Miller, President, chief operating officer and co-owner of the Round Rock Express, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it • 255-2255

Q. After 10 years as president of the Round Rock Express, have you met goals you set for yourself in the beginning?

A. Well, we thought if we could average, to be honest with you, 5,000 or 6,000 people a game, we would really be happy with that. We knew this was a baseball area. When you pass all those fields out at Old Settlers [Park] and just the excitement that youth baseball has here and the University of Texas and the great high school programs here, we knew this was a great baseball area. But we did not think we would average over 9,000 a game for eight years running.

Q. What’s the most important thing you do?

A. I think the most important thing I do is what I concentrate on every day: putting people in the stands. The offseason is really when most of the work happens. People ask me all the time, ‘What do you do in the offseason?’ They think I work April to September. Well, the offseason is when we’re selling the groups, the season tickets, the signage, the promotion nights, on and on and on. The offseason really dictates how successful the season is going to be. [I also oversee] the day-to-day operations of the two teams, Corpus and here. (Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which owns the Round Rock Express, also owns the AA Corpus Christi Hooks.)

Q. What kind of background is ideal for someone in your position to have?

A. As far as I’m concerned, the most important thing in any job is just the passion for it. If somebody asked me what background you need for it, I don’t think you necessarily need a background for it. I see a lot of kids out of college — and even back when I went to college — they got those jobs making the big money, but they’re not happy. I think the key to what you’re going to do in your profession is you’ve got to love what you do, and you’ve got to have a passion for what you do, and then I think all the rest of it takes care of itself. So what background do you need? You’ve got to get that college degree, of course, but I think just the love and passion for the game is the key.

Q. How many employees do you have and how do they impact the customer experience?

A. In Round Rock, we have about 30 full-time [employees]. In Corpus, we have about 22. Part time, on game days, we have 300 to 400.

I’ve been to ballparks all over the country, and I really believe this is the friendliest ballpark in the country. It’s because we have teachers and retired people who love coming out here and have a smile on their face and greet new fans. To me, customer service is the most important aspect of the business, and it’s the one that I think is overlooked a lot. That’s our No. 1 priority: the customer service and taking care of the fans because they’re deciding whether or not they’re coming back after they come once or twice.

 

Q. You’re originally from the Chicago area. So, how do you like living in Central Texas?

A. I love it. Since I’ve been in baseball, I’ve lived in seven different cities. But this is the best. I love living here. I love the people here. I’ve been in Texas now — between my [Texas] Rangers years and here — about 22 years. Two of my three kids were born here. I really look at myself as a Texan now.

Q. As a former college baseball player, did you want to pursue a professional career? How did you get into the administration side of baseball?

A. I wrote a paper when I was in the second grade that I was going to make my living in baseball. Of course, in the second grade, I thought I was going to make my living as a player. I played in high school and played four years in college — I was All-State and All-Conference in college — and really thought that I would have a chance to sign. But I played at a small Division III school called Wheaton College, and you don’t get a whole lot of exposure at a small Division III school, so I had tryouts and was always told the same thing: Your arm’s weak, and you don’t run very fast. You’ve got a good bat; I could hit. But I could see my playing career was coming to an end. When I graduated, I played a summer in California and really had the best summer I’ve ever had baseball-wise, but never signed. That’s when I went to plan B, which was going to grad school, getting my master’s [degree] in sports administration and business, and then I knew I was going to just pursue a career in baseball. My first job was in Eugene, Oregon, 27 years ago, making $500 a month. But I still go out there and take some hacks. I’m 49 years old, but I can still hit. I can’t run, but I can still hit it.

Q. I understand you feel that baseball games are a great avenue for families to create memories. Is that common across all baseball organizations?

A. I really think the minor leagues are setting the table for the major league now. I think a lot of ideas the major league clubs have, they’re stealing from us minor leaguers, whether it’s the kid play zone or more inexpensive tickets. But that’s what I think has gotten away from baseball — the families. At the big league level, it’s gotten so expensive, and I think they really need to evaluate their purpose. And corporations can fund the business in the major league, but we’ve got to get those young fans loving baseball and coming out. When I was five years old, I met [Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer] Ernie Banks. He tapped me on the head at Wrigley Field and said, ‘Keep coming to the ballpark.’ He helped mold a five-year-old boy into loving baseball by his reaction to me, and we have a chance to do that every time there’s a game, whether it’s our players or front-office staff, just talking to the kids and seeing the families out here.

Q. What is the biggest challenge facing the team today?

A. This is our ninth season, and anybody who’s been coming out here since the beginning knows that every year we try to add something new to keep it fresh. You’ve got to keep it fresh, and you’ve got to roll with the times and what’s happening and you’ve got to stay up with the latest technology. We added a scoreboard that cost us $400,000 this season. It’s beautiful and really adds to the game. Next year, we’re talking about putting a stadium club in where you can actually have a buffet dinner and full bar and seats in front that overlook the field where it’s air conditioned. The toughest part is maintaining what you have and sustaining it. A lot of minor league teams that open new stadiums do great the first two or three years, and then they start to decline in their attendance. We haven’t, and I think it’s a combination of this great area and the fact that we keep things fresh and keep adding stuff. Every year, people come out and say, ‘What’d you do this year?’ And they kind of expect it. We have a bungee jump trampoline out there now for the kids that we didn’t have last year. But those are things that get people talking and keep it fresh at the Dell Diamond.