Jay Miller

Jay Miller

Written by Shannon Colletti and Amy Stansbury Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Chief operating officer and president of the Round Rock Express

• Hired: September 1998 as vice president and general manger, became chief operating officer/president in October 2004
• Experience: Director of customer relations for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club, general manager of the New Orleans Zephyrs (Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate)
• Family: Wife, Joy, and three children
• Contact info: 255-2255, jmiller@rrexpress.com
• Web site: www.roundrockexpress.com

Q. This September marks your 10-year anniversary with the team. What was your vision 10 years ago?

A. We thought if we could average, to be honest with you, 5,000 or 6,000 people a game, we would really be happy with that. We knew this was a baseball area. When you pass all those fields out at Old Settlers [Park] and just the excitement that youth baseball has here and the University of Texas and the great high school programs here, we knew this was a great baseball area, but we did not think we would average over 9,000 a game for eight years running.

Q. What’s the most important thing you do?

A. I think the most important thing I do is what I concentrate on every day: putting people in the stands. The offseason is really when most of the work happens. People ask me all the time, ‘What do you do in the offseason?’ They think I work April to September. Well, the offseason is when we’re selling the groups, the season tickets, the signage, the promotion nights, on and on and on. The offseason really dictates how successful the season is going to be. [Another important thing I do is oversee] the day-to-day operations of the two teams, Corpus and here. [Ryan-Sanders Baseball, which owns the Express, also owns the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.]

Q. Where are you during the game?

A. In the stands. I roam. Over the course of the game, I probably make six to eight laps around the stadium — the berm, the home run porch, behind home plate and first base. I pride myself on knowing a lot of season ticket holders’ names. It’s the “Cheer’s” mentality: Everybody knows your name, and I think that is so key.

Q. How many employees do you have?

A. In Round Rock, we have about 30 full-time [employees]. In Corpus, we have about 22. Part time, on game days, we have 300 to 400.

Q. All of those part-time jobs you bring can be seen as a value you bring to the community.

A. I’ve been to ballparks all over the country, and I really believe this is the friendliest ballpark in the country. It’s because we have teachers and retired people who love coming out here and have a smile on their face and breed fans. To me, customer service is the most important aspect of the business, and it’s the one that I think is overlooked a lot. That’s our No. 1 priority.

Q. You’re originally from the Chicago area — how do you like living in Central Texas?

A. I love it. Since I’ve been in baseball, I’ve lived in seven different cities. But this is the best. I love living here. I love the people here. I’ve been in Texas now — between my [Texas] Rangers years and here — about 22 years. Two of my three kids were born here. I really look at myself as a Texan now.

Q. As a former college baseball player, did you want to pursue a professional career? How did you get into the administration side of baseball?

A. I wrote a paper when I was in the second grade that I was going to make my living in baseball. Of course, I thought I was going to make my living as a player. I played in high school and played four years in college — I was All-State and All-Conference in college — and really thought that I would have a chance to sign. But I played at a small Division III school called Wheaton College, and you don’t get a whole lot of exposure at a small Division III school, so I had tryouts and was always told the same thing: Your arm’s weak, you don’t run very fast and you’ve got a good bat. I could hit. But I could see my playing career was coming to an end. When I graduated, I played a summer in California and really had the best summer I’ve ever had baseball-wise, but never signed. That’s when I went to plan B, which was going to grad school, getting my master’s [degree] in sports administration and business, and then I knew I was going to just pursue a career in baseball. My first job was in Eugene, Oregon, 27 years ago, making $500 a month.

Q. Do you ever get out there and throw the ball around?

A. Oh yeah. I still go out there. I’m 49 years old, but I can still hit. I can’t run, but I can still hit it.

Q. What background is ideal for someone in your position?

A. As far as I’m concerned, the most important thing in any job is just the passion for it. If somebody asked me what background you need for it, I don’t think you necessarily need a background for it. You just need to have a love and a passion for it. I see a lot of kids out of college — and even back when I went to college — they got those jobs making the big money, but they’re not happy. I think the key to what you’re going to do as your profession is you’ve got to love what you do and you’ve got to have a passion for what you do, and then I think all the rest of it takes care of itself. So what background do you need? You’ve got to get that college degree, of course, but I think just the love and passion for the game is the key.

Q. What is the biggest challenge facing the team today?

A. This is our ninth season, and anybody who’s been coming out here since the beginning knows that every year we try to add something new to keep it fresh. You’ve got to keep it fresh, and you’ve got to roll with the times, stay up with the latest technology. We added a scoreboard that cost us $400,000 this season. It’s beautiful and really adds to the game. Next year, we’re talking about putting a stadium club in where you can actually have a buffet dinner and full bar and seats in front that overlook the field where it’s air conditioned. The toughest part is maintaining what you have and sustaining it. A lot of minor league teams that open new stadiums do great the first two or three years, and then they start to decline in their attendance. We haven’t, and I think it’s a combination of this great area and that we keep things fresh and keep adding stuff.

Q. Is your vision to help families create memories common across all parks? Is that something all the presidents do?

A. I really think the minor leagues are setting the table for the major league now. I think a lot of ideas the major league clubs have, they’re stealing from us minor leaguers, whether it’s the kid play zone or more inexpensive tickets. But that’s what I think has gotten away from baseball — the families. At the big league level, it’s gotten so expensive, and I think they really need to evaluate their purpose. And corporations can fund the business in the major league, but we’ve got to get those young fans loving baseball and coming out. When I was 5 years old, I met [Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer] Ernie Banks. He tapped me on the head at Wrigley Field and said, ‘Keep coming to the ballpark.’ He helped mold a 5-year-old boy into loving baseball by his reaction to me, and we have a chance to do that every time there’s a game.