SHEA, STEIN BECOMING LEGENDS IN LEXINGTON

Posted: July 28th, 2010



In one way or another, most of central Kentucky is likely to spend some time at picturesque Applebee’s Park this summer.
Many are likely to check out the Houston Astros’ class-A affiliate Lexington Legends, or perhaps some beverages during one of their ‘Thirsty Thursdays.’ Several other baseball fans (including what seemed to be most of Harrison County) took in the KHSAA state baseball tournament, as Mac Whitaker’s Thoroughbreds captured yet another state title.
Non-baseball fans might’ve seen one of the fights on the card at the MMA Bluegrass Bragging Rights, or enjoyed in the sights (and the samples) at the Brewgrass Festival. Others plan to sing along with Grammy-winning recording artist Maroon 5, who headline a concert set for August 28.
Regardless of the event, it’s a safe bet that plenty of folks that spin turnstiles will also look in envy of the shorts-wearing, grin-bearing employees that bounce around Applebee’s Park, especially after considering the fact that they’re being paid to be there.
Believe it or not, however, the energized employees that make up the operations at Applebee’s Park have day jobs- at Applebee’s Park. Including general manager Andy Shea, there are 22 full-time employees at the venue, responsible for everything from sales and sponsorships to community relations and concerts.
In a town where minor league hockey, basketball, soccer, and indoor football have struggled, the Legends’ success is truly remarkable. “Its pace and leisure lends itself to families,” said Legends President/CEO Alan Stein, who also noted that baseball’s “natural” place on the calendar helps.
Stein also mentioned that his group’s significant financial investment and tireless research were significant factors in the Legends’ success. “We knew what we were doing,” he claims with confidence.
Indeed, in a town home to the greatest tradition in the history of college basketball and the horse capital of the world, the Legends have found a way to squeeze- and settle- in, and appear to be here to stay.
Shea and Stein, who both have baseball backgrounds, have become the faces of the Legends and Applebee’s Park. Shea, a former player at Boston College, attributes his success to the “team attitude” he learned while on the field that quickly transferred into the front office. Inspired by Theo Epstein’s success as general manager of his beloved Boston Red Sox, Shea knew that “if I wasn’t going to be playing baseball, I sure as heck wanted to be working in it.”
Stein’s passion for baseball was also cultivated at an early age, “I played every single day growing up… baseball was what we did.” A member of the Kentucky Softball Hall of Fame, Stein was actually paid to play softball at one point, for a team called the ‘Rainbow Bakers.’
The pair have combined to form quite an impressive team, largely responsible for leading the Legends’ charge into their tenth year of operation this season.
Looking beyond scope of events held at Applebee’s Park, both Shea and Stein mentioned that the Legends’ tireless community involvement has been a cornerstone to their success. “We do a ton with the local little leagues, with the non-profits and charities,” Shea said, “there are so many things that we do out in the community that are amazing for our company on so many levels.”
It would be easy for someone in Stein’s position to kick back and enjoy his creation, but satisfaction, by definition, is not something that appears to be in his vocabulary. “I’m humbled and gratified by our success,” he said of the Legends, “and proud of the accomplishments, but I’m not content until every seat is filled and everything goes right.” In other words, all Stein expects is perfection.
“The key is to take it as education and not criticism,” says Shea. “For Alan and I, perfection is the goal, so it’s essential to look at every single thing that goes into our operation.”
So what is to be expected from the Legends of the future? “As much as we can,” said Shea, “it’s just fun… it really is, providing such a wide variety of facility entertainment.” Stein’s continual emphasis on fan experience and community involvement will be in the forefront of the Legends’ plans as well, along with facility renovations and a continued commitment to the Lexington Professional Baseball Company’s mission statement, which concludes with the hope of our company is to always dream of what can be; to determine how goals can be accomplished; and to work together in a collaborative style that maintains a family, team-driven effort that continues to seek the perfect vision.
Legendary sportswriter Red Smith once claimed that “90 feet between bases is perhaps as close as man has ever come to perfection.” To Shea, Stein, and the rest of the folks at Applebee’s Park, it would seem that perfection is just par for the course.


 


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