From clevelandbrowns.com

The Cleveland Browns and FirstEnergy Corp. announced that they have reached an amicable decision to end their stadium naming rights agreement. Terms and conditions of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Together with the Browns, we have worked to enrich our communities while increasing awareness of FirstEnergy as an energy leader. Since we signed this agreement ten years ago, our priorities have shifted as the company evolved from a competitive energy supplier to a regulated utility, and as a result, our corporate initiatives must also evolve,” said John Somerhalder, interim president and CEO. “Like the rest of northern Ohio, we remain passionate Browns fans and will cheer them on in upcoming seasons. We also look forward to maintaining our deep relationships with civic, arts, and other organizations to bring good energy to our communities.”

“We’ve had a great association with FirstEnergy for more than two decades, and we appreciate this partnership and what it has created for our team and the broader northeast Ohio community,” said Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group COO. “We reached this amicable agreement that is consistent with the productive relationship we have always enjoyed, and we wish FirstEnergy success with their future initiatives. Our home stadium will return to its former name, Cleveland Browns Stadium.”

Timothy Alan “Tim” Riddle, 62, died unexpectedly Friday, April 28, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri while on a business trip for the County of Volusia, Florida where he served as the Ocean Center Director.

Graveside services will be conducted Monday, May 8, 2023, at 2:30 P.M. at Polk Memorial Gardens with Steve Lusk, Mitch Holman, and David Farris officiating. The family will visit with friends Monday May 8, 2023, from 12:00 noon until 2:00 P.M. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Condolences may be extended online at oakesandnichols.com. Memorials may be made to Hush Puppy Haven at hushpuppyhaven.org. It’s a nonprofit and it sponsors the Pet Meals on Wheels program with the Council of Aging of Volusia County, providing food each month to feed the pets of local seniors.

He was born March 26, 1961, in Maury County to the late Charles Riddle and the late Frances Parks Riddle. He graduated from Columbia Central High School in 1979 and went on and attended Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He began his CPA career as an auditor for Arthur Anderson. Then went on to work at the Chattanooga Convention Center where he worked his way up to Director. At the end of 2010, he took a new position as Director of the Cave City Convention Center. In 2012, he took a position as Director at the Rainwater Conference Center in Valdosta, GA from 2012-2017. In 2017, he took a Deputy Director position at the County of Volusia at the Ocean’s Center and became Director shortly afterwards.

Survivors include his wife Lisa Locke Riddle that he married on August 18, 1984, of Ormond Beach, Florida; two children, Casey Riddle of Anderson, South Carolina and Cody Riddle of Russellville, Kentucky; a brother, Roger Riddle (Connie) of Columbia; sister, Delilah Riddle Andrews Harris (Johnny) of Columbia; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother Charles Brian Riddle.

SERVICES
Visitation
Monday, May 8, 2023
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home
320 W 7th St.
Columbia, TN 38401

Graveside Service
Monday, May 8, 2023
2:30 PM
Polk Memorial Gardens
6465 Trotwood Avenue
Columbia, TN 38401

From observerlocalnews.com and R.V. Baugus

Volusia County Government is saddened to announce the untimely death of Ocean Center Director Tim Riddle, CVE, on Friday, April 28. Riddle joined the county in August 2017 as the deputy director of the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL, and was promoted to its director in June 2020.

“Tim was truly an asset to the county and was instrumental in finding ways to keep the Ocean Center alive through the pandemic and was excited to lead its continued growth,” County Manager George Recktenwald said. “Aside from being an outstanding and dedicated employee, he was a sincere and kind individual, always willing to listen and go out of his way to help someone.”

The County’s critical incident stress management staff have been mobilized to assist affected team members. Our deepest condolences go out to his family as they navigate their unexpected loss.

The IAVM family joins in expressing our condolences to the Riddle family in the passing of one of the public assembly venue world’s most respected leaders. We will be sharing more as details become available.

To read an article from The Daytona Beach News-Journal, please click here.

By Mary Klida

Having worked in the Detroit area for more than a decade and received her degrees from Michigan universities, Nicole Johnson is right at home in her new position as Director of Human Resources of Huntington Place, Detroit’s convention center and economic engine of the Southeast Michigan community.

Previously working with Fortune 200 companies across a diverse range of industries, including national retail, digital marketing, and global travel, Johnson’s expertise in leading human resources change initiatives has been recognized in various industries such as gaming and entertainment, manufacturing, k-12 education, and Detroit Windsor Tunnel, a major North American Border Crossing.

This wide-range experience brings Johnson’s notable expertise to the venue’s Human Resources program in labor relations, health and safety, leadership development, coaching, benefits and leave administration, instructional design, technical recruiting, and HRIS and payroll systems implementations, recruiting, training and development, and labor contract negotiations.

“I am honored to join Huntington Place as the Director of Human Resources and look forward to working collaboratively to create an inclusive and empowering work environment where all team members feel like they belong,” Johnson said.

Human Resources change initiatives are increasingly becoming top priority for convention centers and other venues coming out of COVID and rebuilding their workforces after venue closing and massive layoffs. Diversity, Inclusion, Equity (DEI) and flexible work schedules have become a top priority for employees, along with opportunities to create better work/life balance.

When the venue was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the center furloughed 60% of staff. Of those that remained, remote work was established where possible. The slow return to business and rehiring of essential staff created opportunities to implement new hiring strategies and workforce improvements.

“Diversity is our superpower BUT Inclusion is really the secret sauce that takes us to the next level,” said Karen Totaro, CVE, Huntington Place general manager. “All members of our team have a voice and are treated with respect and encouraged to share their perspectives. It is not just a listening exercise; we act upon our team’s great ideas, no matter their position in the venue, what they look like, or what they believe.”

The event industry, including the nation’s convention centers, have been tasked with making health and safety of employees and visitors priority one, along with rebuilding a workforce with candidates that now have very different expectations of their employers.

The need for a new hiring strategy became apparent during the “great resignation” and work-from-home habits developed during COVID-19 outbreak. Employees are more prone to set limits to their contributions at work such as work hours, scope of tasks, and fairness on how their talent is utilized. Candidates are more often insisting on these working conditions before accepting jobs.

“As we navigate the post-COVID hiring landscape, I am excited to implement new strategies and initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and at the same time foster exceptional guest experiences, thus driving the growth and success of the venue,” Johnson said.

Most recently, Johnson served as Senior Director of Human Capital for Promise Schools, former Charter Management Organization for Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. In this role, she was responsible for the development and execution of human resources strategies, programs, and policies. Johnson’s passion is for human resources, coupled with her expertise, experience, and ability to lead and execute complex human resources initiatives.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management and a Master of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Development degree from Eastern Michigan University.

“We are so excited to have Nicole join the team. She brings the skills and experience we know will take Huntington Place to the next level in human resource management,” Totaro said. “Our team continues to thrive and with Nicole’s experience as a change agent we know there will be many more opportunities ahead for our team.”

Mary Klida is Senior Marketing & Communications Manager for Huntington Place.

By Stacie Bauer

Momentus Technologies, the global leader in venue and event management technology, has announced its acquisition of WeTrack, a rapidly growing leader in sustainability, project management incident tracking, and control room software based in London, UK. WeTrack’s out-of-the-box sustainability reporting software has been widely recognized for its intuitive design and simplified offering, making it a perfect addition to Momentus’ venue management platform. WeTrack’s project management and incident tracking software allows the largest events and venues in the world to plan, prepare, and deliver these complex projects with seamless operations, underpinned by a powerful reporting tool which ensures lessons are learned for future events. This will complement Momentus Technologies’ Risk Manager software to help drive innovation in the industry.

“We are thrilled to announce our acquisition of WeTrack,” said Alex Alexandrov, CEO of Momentus Technologies. “This acquisition marks a significant milestone in our company’s growth strategy, and we are excited about the opportunities it presents. By combining our resources and expertise with those of WeTrack, we will be able to deliver even greater value to our customers. As venues are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental impact, the need for intuitive sustainability technology has never been greater. We are excited to expand our reach into this rapidly evolving space and build on our existing footprint in key global markets.”

The acquisition of WeTrack is an exciting development for Momentus Technologies and marks a major occasion in the company’s mission to provide the industry’s most comprehensive venue management software. With WeTrack’s software solutions, Momentus Technologies is well-positioned to lead the way in environmentally conscious business practices and provide its customers with the tools they need to achieve their environmental, social, and governance goals. For WeTrack, the acquisition will provide access to Momentus Technologies’ resources and expertise, enabling the company to continue to grow and innovate.

“We are very excited to be joining forces with Momentus Technologies, the leader in venue management,” said Peter Ward, CEO of WeTrack. “Together, we will have a significant impact on customers around the world, helping them meet their goals and stay ahead of the competition. Working with clients from Olympic Games, World Cups, and a wide variety of other events, sporting federations and venues has given us great insight into what it takes to deliver successful and safe operations. Combining that with Momentus Technologies’ suite of tools can bring enormous value to venue and event operators around the world. We can’t wait to see what we can do together for our current and future clients.”

Stacie Bauer is Global Events Manager for Momentus Technologies.