As they prepare for their final season in Fort Mill, South Carolina before moving into a state of the art stadium in the city for which they are named, the Charlotte Knights continue to bolster their organization with additions in four key areas.
Sean Owens will join the club as Director of Ticket Sales and Hospitality, Margie Burleson as Special Events/Sales Executive, Mark Krizanik as Account Executive, and Audrey Stanek as Manager, Sponsorship Services.
“We are excited to add these four talented people to our already dedicated front office staff,” said Knights General Manager of Baseball Operations Scott Brown. “Sean’s experience in both sports and entertainment will be invaluable to the Knights success in 2013 and beyond. Margie, Mark, and Audrey all spent 2012 with the Knights, and it’s great to have them on board in a full-time capacity.”
Owens moved to Charlotte after graduating from Elon University in 1999. Over the course of his career, Owens has worked in both the sports and entertainment field. During his time in baseball, he worked for three minor league baseball teams from 1994-2005, including previously working for the Charlotte Knights for six seasons. In his new role with the Knights, Owens will be focused on overall ticket sales and facility rentals/special events.
“I’m very excited to return to baseball and the Charlotte Knights,” said Owens. “This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of the final season at Knights Stadium and inaugural season at BB&T Ballpark, is a dream come true.”
Burleson and Krizanik spent the 2012 season with the Knights in the club’s Inside Sales department – a newly formed department last season.
Burleson, a 2009 graduate of Johnson and Wales University, originally joined the Knights in January, 2012 after a two year stint with ESPN as an Account Executive.
Krizanik, a Pittsburgh, PA native, is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Sports Management major. During his time there, Krizanik was an assistant coach for the school’s baseball team.
Stanek spent the 2012 season as a full-time intern for the Knights and will enter her fourth season in baseball in 2013, following internships with the Quad City River Bandits and Kansas City T-Bones. She is a graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.
The Knights, the Class AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, had previously named their field staff for 2013 with the return of manager Joel Skinner, who led the team to the Governors’ Cup finals, pitching coach Richard Dotson, new hitting coach and former Charlotte Knights infielder Brandon Moore, head trainer Joe Geck, and new strength and conditioning coach Raymond Smith.
“We are very pleased to welcome Joel, Rich, and Joe back to the Knights for the 2013 season,” said Charlotte Knights Vice President/GM Dan Rajkowski in the December announcement. “In his first year of managing the Knights Joel did a tremendous job in leading our team and developing our young talent.”
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