By R.V. Baugus

Robert A. Lorelli, founder and president of the theater consulting firm, Robert Lorelli Associates which merged into Theater Design in 2019, passed away on July 23 in Westhampton Beach, New York, surrounded by family and friends after a brief battle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. A graduate of New York Institute of Technology, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and specialized in lighting and rigging designs.

“In many ways Bob is responsible for the theater consultant that I’ve become and the career I continue to have,” said Michael Mell, president of Theater Design in Cold Spring, NY. “I was honored when he asked me to take over his clients when he retired. I will miss his friendship, his generous support and counsel.”

During his more than four decades in business, he worked on more than 300 theater projects worldwide. Among his projects were Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, City Center 55th Street Dance Theater, Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, the Onondaga Civic Center, the Cleveland Playhouse, the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Shubert Theater in New Haven, the Palace Theater in Chicago, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Virginia, the American University in Cairo, Place des Artes, Montreal, Teatro de la Cuidad y Centro de Convenciones, Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, and Expo ’98 Centennial on the Clark Base in the Philippines.

Prior to this he was Executive Director of City Center 55th Street Dance Theater, and he designed the innovative turntable in the Chrysler Pavilion of the 1964 World’s Fair. He also worked on the LINAC Accelerator Project at Brookhaven National Laboratory. He was avid sailor and a major support of the Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead, New York, as well as the World Wildlife Fund and the African Wildlife Foundation.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in the near future. In lieu of flowers, it’s suggested that a contribution be made in Bob’s name to the Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation, 1300 Roanoke Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901, or to a charity of your choice.

Oak View Group (OVG), the global venue development, advisory, and investment company for the sports and live entertainment industries, announced the addition of three seasoned professionals to Acrisure Arena, the newest world-class venue designed specifically for the Coachella Valley, and the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the 32nd AHL team debuting in Fall 2022 and the affiliate of the NHL Seattle Kraken. Joining the team is Leslie Deason as general manager and director of operations & programming of the Iceplex, Chef David Harvie as executive chef of Acrisure Arena, and Evan Pivnick as director of broadcast & communications of the Firebirds.

As general manager and director of operations & programming for the Iceplex, Deason will be responsible for the development of strategy, execution of programming, and supervising of all management at the Iceplex. Deason has managed and consulted multiple facilities across the country and internationally as well as directed and coached hockey and elite figure skaters. A certified IAim General Manager, Deason is also PSA Triple Master rated, a Level VI International figure skating coach, and a USFS technical specialist. She will report to John Bolton, senior vice president, entertainment – facilities & general manager, Acrisure Arena, and starts her new role effective immediately.

“As a Southern California native, I love and appreciate the beauty of the desert and diverse lifestyle that comes with it,” said Deason. “Joining the Oak View Group family in developing and programming a new facility in the beautiful Coachella Valley is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I take great pride in representing OVG in the community and delivering a world-class experience to all.”

Joining the team as executive chef of Acrisure Arena, Harvie will oversee all food and beverage operations at the venue for concerts and games as well as inside and out private event catering, public rink, all culinary staffing hiring and training, food safety and sanitation, food procurement, recipes, and menu development. The son of a classically trained French chef, Harvie most recently served as executive chef at Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert, CA. Previously he served as president of the American Culinary Federation First Coast Chapter in Jacksonville, FL. Harvie’s experience also includes serving as executive chef at Levy Restaurants for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins, and the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and the NFL team, where he supported multiple events including the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the USTA tennis tournament in Flushing, NY, and the Stanley Cup Finals in Chicago. Harvie will report to Chris Morgan, regional vice president, and Tom Hoch, division executive chef for Oak View Group.

“I am super excited to join the Oak View Group team at Acrisure,” said Harvie. “Sports and entertainment have always been a passion of mine. I so look forward to the great times we will all have at the new arena.”

“Both Leslie and David are such pros in their respective fields and bring a wealth of experience to Acrisure Arena,” Bolton said. “It’s my pleasure to welcome them to our growing team as we continue on track for a December opening.”

As director of broadcast & communications, Pivnick will oversee all home and away game play-by-play duties along with player and coaching content coordination and creation for the Coachella Valley Firebirds weekly broadcast, magazine, digital platforms, and radio programs. Additionally, Pivnick will serve as the liaison for hockey operations and the front office to create media opportunities and materials throughout the AHL season. Pivnick will report to Gina Rotolo, vice president of marketing and communications for Coachella Valley Firebirds.

“I’m ecstatic to be joining the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Oak View Group,” Pivnick said. “There are so many amazing things this organization has already accomplished without even stepping on the ice. Getting to be a part of an organization in a new hockey city is really something special and I can’t wait to get started.” Pivnick comes to the Firebirds after five years with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder, where he served as the team’s director of communications and broadcasting. Pivnick attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio and graduated in 2017 with a degree in media production and studies. While attending the university, he was the play-by-play voice of the school’s hockey team and had the privilege of calling a game with preeminent American hockey broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick during his senior year. Pivnick is a native of Oceanside, NY, and credits going to New York Islanders games during his youth at nearby Nassau Coliseum as the sparkplug for his love of hockey.

“When you’re building out one of the most anticipated teams in the AHL, having strong talent on and off the ice in an absolute must. Evan demonstrates a passion for both the sport and media and his expertise in broadcasting will enhance the Firebirds brand,” said Steve Fraser, president of Acrisure Arena and Coachella Valley Firebirds.

By NBA.com

The Atlanta Hawks and State Farm gathered 5,000 volunteers at State Farm Arena to pack one million meals as part of the Million Meal Pack. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin, State Farm Senior Vice President Dan Krause, City of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, NBA Hall of Famer and Hawks Legend Dikembe Mutombo as well as Congresswoman Nikema Williams welcomed and thanked the volunteers for donating their time in support of the team’s largest single-day community service initiative.

Individuals, families, community groups, schools, churches and businesses gathered on the floor of the award-winning State Farm Arena and packed alongside volunteers from U.S. Hunger and executives from the Hawks and State Farm, reaching a final count of 1,019,232 meals.
The six 90-minute shifts of the event yielded:
• 169,872 bags of food
• 130,943 pounds of food
• 3,539 boxes of food
• 288 meals per box
• 48 bags per box

“We are very grateful for all of today’s volunteers and extremely proud of the results from today’s Million Meal Pack in partnership with State Farm,” Koonin said. “We understand that it is a huge undertaking to tackle food insecurity throughout Atlanta, and we believe that this one-day community service initiative will make an incredible impact and also inspire our communities throughout metro Atlanta.”

The more-than-one million meals packed will be distributed throughout the metro Atlanta area with the operational support of U.S. Hunger, a hunger relief organization with innovative programs designed to help feed people struggling with food insecurity. Additionally, ten other local organizations will help distribute the meals: Atlanta Community Food Bank, CHRIS 180, City of Refuge, Fountain of Hope, Georgia State University Panther’s Pantry, Goodr, Meals On Wheels Atlanta, Mimi’s Pantry and Second Helpings Atlanta.

“The Million Meal Pack event makes a real difference in the lives of Atlanta residents facing food insecurity,” said Dan Krause, Southeastern Market Area Senior Vice President at State Farm. “Our local State Farm agents and employees were proud to be part of this effort as State Farm is dedicated to giving back and strengthening communities. We’re grateful to all the volunteers and thank State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Hawks for our partnership.”

Statistics provided by the Atlanta Community Food Bank show that nearly one in eight Georgians are living with food insecurity, including one in six children.

“There is nothing like the energy from 5,000 Atlantans coming together to take care of their community, taking a bold stand in the fight against hunger. After three years of being apart, we’re honored to be invited back by the Hawks and State Farm to help pack one million meals for families in need,” said Rick Whitted, CEO of U.S. Hunger.

As part of accomplishing various packing milestones throughout the day and after completing a lone volunteer shift, attendees celebrated on State Farm Drive with games, refreshments, music, and fun.

Continuing to operate as the world’s first TRUE Platinum certified sports and entertainment venue, this event is also marked as the first zero waste Million Meal Pack. As part of this event, State Farm Arena diverted more than 90 percent from landfills that includes all materials generated from load-in to load-out. In an intentional effort, the packaging also uses messaging to encourage recycling within the recipients’ communities.

The Hawks and State Farm hosted their first Million Meal Pack in 2019 where more than 5,000 volunteers filled State Farm Arena and prepared more than one million meals. The meals were then distributed to local Atlantans through seven community food bank organizations.

Additionally, both organizations have led efforts in multiple community-focused initiatives to better serve metro Atlanta. In addition to Million Meal Pack, the two organizations have collaborated on high-impact endeavors such as providing free pop-up grocery stores in partnership with Goodr Inc., for elderly and underserved citizens in metro Atlanta and enhancing the Snack Pack Program, which gave over 24,000 snack packs to youth throughout the school year and during summer break.

As part of the 2021-22 regular season, the Hawks Foundation and State Farm presented a check of $122,000 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank as an effort to help combat childhood hunger and fight against food insecurity throughout metro Atlanta.

The ‘Good Neighbor Giveback’ campaign raised $100 for every point the Hawks scored over 100 in each game during the 2021-22 regular season (originally up to $100,000) and was generously extended from State Farm.

Photo by Steve Schaefer

By Stacie Bauer

Ungerboeck, the world’s leading provider of event and venue management software, announced the launch Ungerboeck Payments, a fully integrated, end-to-end payment solution built specifically for events businesses.

To thrive in a post-COVID world, venues and event organizers must take advantage of new opportunities to maximize revenue and streamline financial operations. Ungerboeck Payments makes it possible to accept electronic payments directly within the Ungerboeck platform, creating easier and safer payment experiences. The revolutionary payment system will help Ungerboeck customers improve cash flow, increase repeat business, and generate more revenue. For the first time, customers have a centralized view of all payment activity on a single platform that is fully supported by Ungerboeck.

“Good payment experience is critical to good event experience,” said Manish Chandak, President

and CEO of Ungerboeck. “With the launch of Ungerboeck payments, we now offer a truly integrated, best-in-class payment solution to our customers. Partnering with Stripe, our customers will have an end-to-end seamless payment and reconciliation experience while providing payment choices and ease of use to their planners, vendors, exhibitors, and visitors.”

Ungerboeck chose Stripe, a financial infrastructure platform for businesses, to support Ungerboeck Payments. Stripe helps millions of companies accept payments, grow their revenue, and accelerate business opportunities. Ungerboeck Payments is powered by Stripe Connect, which lets businesses facilitate purchases and payments between third-party buyers and sellers.

“We’re thrilled to help Ungerboeck move money from event organizers to venue operators through Stripe Connect,” said Jeanne DeWitt Grosser, Head of Revenue, Americas at Stripe. “As physical spaces become increasingly important for businesses and their customers, Stripe’s infrastructure ensures platforms like Ungerboeck can power payments and financial operations at scale.”

Chandak said the Ungerboeck team is just as thrilled about the new agreement.

“We are excited about our partnership with Stripe, an industry leader, and using their infrastructure to deliver the best possible payment experience for our customers and their customers,” Chandak said.

Customers are enthusiastic about the new payment solution as well.

“It was an easy decision for us to choose Ungerboeck Payments,” said Kerry Painter, CVE, General Manager at the Raleigh Convention Center. “We are excited to offer our customers a modern, integrated payment experience that also eliminates manual processes for our teams saving substantial time and effort.”

“Ungerboeck Payments is the perfect solution for us,” said Gary Firlit, Director of Accounting at Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center. “Increasing usage of electronic payments is a top priority due to the many efficiencies they bring to our finance team and the significant improvement in customer satisfaction. Ungerboeck Payments is essential to achieving our financial objectives.”

Stacie Bauer is Event & Sponsorship Coordinator at Ungerboeck Software International.

Region 6 Newsletter

Over the past few months, AT&T Performing Arts Center in Dallas has hired and promoted multiple individuals to fill vacancies on their outstanding team of venue managers. These new hires and promotions include:

Warrren Tranquada, President & CEO
Mr. Tranquada recently transitioned from his successful tenure as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ to lead the Center in Dallas. Mr. Tranquada will replace Debbie Storey, who has shown tremendous leadership as President and CEO since 2017.

Kit Westerman, Director of Operations
Mr. Westerman has been promoted from the production management team to Director of Operations and will oversee food and beverage, parking and public safety, along with resident company relations and carry producing responsibilities. Kit brings a multitude of successes from theaters, arts centers, festivals, and education programs throughout the country, but most recently from the award-winning National Dance Institute education program in New York City, bringing dance, music, and performing arts to over 6,500 public school children each week free of charge.

Weston Keifer, Director of Production
Mr. Keifer returns to ATTPAC as Director of Production after spending a year and a half with the Plano Independent School District, helping to establish their operations and procedures for the highly anticipated opening of the Robinson Fine Arts Center. Having served as Technical Director during some of the Center’s most formative years beginning in 2011, Weston’s institutional knowledge, leadership and skills add a great deal of additional strength and depth to the operations team. His career has crossed the country from Boston, Massachusetts to Las Vegas, Nevada and has covered positions from stagehand to technical director and even educator.

Tyler Cureton, Technical Director
Mr. Cureton takes the helm as Technical Director of ATTPAC’s many events and spaces. Tyler holds a BA in Theater, a minor in Communications, and holds a certificate in mediation. Previous experience includes Stephen F. Austin University as Technical Director and Production Manager; Temple Civic Theater as Technical Director, and East Texas Baptist University at Technical Director. Tyler has also volunteered in his community from Youth Pastor to the Timber Creek Youth Dream Team.

Francisco “Frank” Cortez, Theater Automation & Rigging Manager
Mr. Cortez has experience in all realms of theater. Most recently he was the Production Supervisor at The Apollo Theater, and just prior to that spent 12 years at The Long Center for the Performing Arts as the Head Carpenter/House Head Rigger overseeing all aspects of performance rigging and maintenance. He is certified as a CM entertainment hoists technician, and OSHA 10 certified.