BY R.J. DELUKE
Jeffrey Mead had his first experience
playing hockey some years ago at the Glens
Falls Civic Center.
“The first time I ever stepped on ice was
at the Civic Center,” he said on July 10.
He went on to play interscholastic hockey
at Glens Falls High School and collegiate
hockey at SUNY Potsdam.
Ironically, on July 20 he takes over as
the new general manager of the Glens Falls
Civic Center where the sport of hockey is a
cornerstone of activities at the center and
important to the Glens Falls region.
The center is home to the Adirondack
Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League,
an affiliate of the Calgary Flames of the
National Hockey League.
The Adirondack Civic Center Coalition
(ACCC) announced the hiring of Mead in
early July. Mead will be responsible for the
daily management of the operations of the
center.
Mead replaces Jack Walter, who was hired
in April. Walter, an independent business
consultant whose resume includes construction,
manufacturing, pharmaceuticals
and oversight of the facilities and events of
Las Vegas casinos, wasn’t hired by the coalition
with the long term in mind.
Mead, a native of Glens Falls, has extensive
experience working for and managing
numerous facilities including most recently as the general manager/director of operations
for the Blue Sky Sports Center in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area.
He also spent a number of years with
Polar Ice Entertainment working at various
facilities in Texas, Arizona and Illinois.
Dan Burke, president of the ACCC board
of directors, said, “We interviewed several
other candidates and were very pleased that
someone with Jeff’s credentials wanted to
join our team. Jeff has roots in our community
and completely understands the
passion we have to make the Civic Center a
viable sports and entertainment entity over
the long term.”
Mead said he attended Adirondack Red
Wings games “as much as my parents would
let me” and played occasional high school
games there. He understands the significance
of the sport at the center.
But hockey is not the only thing necessary
for the center–which has had financial
woes in recent years–to survive and thrive.
While not on the job yet, Mead has already
been in discussion with ACCC about
the center.
“The more days we use the building for
events that bring in revenue, the better,” he
said, citing concerts, boat shows and adult
hockey leagues among the possibilities for
the venue.
Mead and his wife Tracy have two children.
“We’re excited,” Mead said about returning
to the area, where he still has family
and friends. “It’s a comfortable community.”
Speaking from his Texas home, on a day
he reported the temperature being 100 degrees,
he added, “It will be nice to get back
to having four seasons again.”
Photo Courtesy Jeffrey Mead