Business View Magazine | February 2018

142 143 a great place for families.On a clear day,we have a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier from the stadium. In the summer months, in particular,we’re selling out games, frequently.” Mead adds that the stadium also serves as a community asset in a multitude of ways.“Tacoma is about 25 minutes south of Seattle and we have a very unique community and culture, here,” she explains.“And we have a deep connection to that community, so we make sure that we’re creating a first-class experience for everybody in the city -whether that be baseball, or, now, soccer, or the community events we support.We’ve got sports camps where we partner with local organizations that get kids out to the field.Our players visit the local children’s hospital; they do school visits.We do summer movie nights–family-friendlymovies that are free and open to the public.We have a full-scale whiffle ball field that’s onsite here and open to Tacoma citizens as long as we’re not in a game. So, there’s a deep connection to the community that’s really important to us.” Media and Communications Manager, Brett Glea- CHENEY STADIUM son, adds that Cheney Stadium is also a good en- vironmental citizen.“We’re a member of the Green Sports Alliance, and we have a large emphasis on stormwater prevention,”he says.“The volume of rain we get in the northwest is significant, so with pervious asphalt in our parking lots, as well as the drive coming into the stadium,we’re reducing and ideally, eliminating the amount of surface water that makes its way into the storm drains and finds its way into the Puget Sound.Also, in the 70 games that we host,we have an 8th inning recycle break, where members of the ushering staff make their way throughout the stands and ask guests to recy- cle with us.We take a proactive approach to collect everybody’s recyclables and make sure that they’re disposed of correctly.”Mead adds that the stadium hosts sustainability nights on Tuesdays–fans who bring in cans for recycling get discounted tickets for Tuesday night games. Speaking of games, Gleason reports that the Rainiers have had “a fantastic home record for the second straight year.The last three seasons,we’ve been well over .500 at home,”he enthuses.“A lot of walk-off wins; a lot of fun fireworks nights.We made the playoffs in the 2016 season.”The stadium also hosted this past summer’s Triple-AAll Star Game and Home Run Derby. “We continue to put upgrades into the facility to make the fan experience as unique and powerful as we can,”Cherniske states in summation,“because it’s a lot more than baseball that we host 70 times a season. Each year, the front office, the ownership committee, and the Cheney Foundation continue to build our brand and our facility, and we’re going to continue to prove that we’re an integral piece of Tacoma.” Inc. , Proud partners with the Tacoma Rainiers We grow a high quality, no net 100% Bluegrass, Ryegrass and Blue and Rye grass blends. Our sod is grown in 98% sand which is strongly preferred by Sports Turf and landscape professionals. We are committed to a quality product, which is reflected in every aspect of our operation, from seeding to harvesting and then to final delivery to your jobsite. Tyson Francis, Regional Manager 253-606-0850 Nathan Cox, President 509-750-1614 Servicing all of the Pacific Northwest Inc. , PREFERRED VENDOR n Desert Green Turf, Inc. www.desertgreenturf.com