New president hopes to give 51s ‘energy’

Drew Dondero has replaced Don Logan as president of the 51s.

Logan, in his 27th season with Las Vegas' Triple-A franchise, was the team's president for the past 10 years and will remain with the 51s as general manager and minority owner.

Dondero had held an executive position -- termed "Person of Ultimate Authority" -- with the franchise from afar since the Stevens Baseball Group purchased it prior to the 2008 season.

But he recently moved to Las Vegas from his native Detroit to take on a full-time, hands-on role with the club.

"(The Stevens Baseball Group) needed someone to manage their investment," Dondero said Thursday at Cashman Field before the 51s' 8-4 win over the Fresno Grizzlies. "It was important for them to have somebody here to work full time with Don, (assistant GM) Chuck (Johnson) and the whole staff.

"I'm here to help support the staff. My goal is to bring some energy into it."

He said his immediate goal is to increase awareness of the team in the community and, ultimately, attendance. The 51s are averaging 4,729 fans per game this season and have attracted more than 300,000 fans in each of their first 27 seasons at Cashman Field.

"We want to get the word out that we're here," Dondero said. "I don't think we've reached our potential in the community. There are a lot of people who have moved here the past five or 10 years. I think we can reach them and bring them out."

He said he hopes to achieve that through an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign.

"I understand there have been issues with Cashman ... but this is still a great little venue for family entertainment," Dondero said. "You can bring your family here for less than it takes to go to the movies.

"We're going to maximize what we can do for the community here, and if we've truly outgrown this facility, a new facility will come."

Dondero, who previously worked 20 years for Cold Heading, the Stevens family's automotive nuts and bolts business, had no professional baseball experience before working for the 51s.

He's looking at this year as a learning experience but has some improvements in mind for aging Cashman Field -- from adding umbrellas, shade and misters for fans to improving players' amenities, such as the outdoor batting cage.

"We want the venue to be as fan-friendly as possible," he said.

Dondero said replacing Logan as team president is "not a reflection on Don" and that he doesn't expect to make any other immediate changes to the 51s staff.

"It's like if a new owner came in and moved their person in, (but) it just took a couple of extra seasons," he said.

As GM, Logan said his day-to-day role hasn't changed "hardly at all" and he understands the decision by the Stevens Baseball Group to give Dondero a more active role with the team.

"The Stevens family are majority investors and have got millions of dollars in this," he said. "It's the Golden Rule: The gold rules, and that's business, and I accept that."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.