Schaumburg Boomers vow positive business impact

The Schaumburg Boomers have spent months talking about what they're going to do this summer for area families and sports fans.

On Tuesday, team owner Pat Salvi Tuesday specifically addressed the positive impact he's hoping to have on the local business community.

Salvi hosted the Schaumburg Business Association's monthly breakfast meeting in The Schaumburg Club atop Boomers Stadium.

“As the owner of the Schaumburg Boomers, I can promise we're going to be a very good partner with you in the business community and the village of Schaumburg,” Salvi said. “It always improves the quality of life to have in your community the entertainment of minor league baseball.”

Salvi, a personal injury lawyer who owns three minor league teams, argued that the Boomers would help maintain local spending by providing an alternative to expensive family trips to major league stadiums.

But he also vowed the Boomers would be an organization other businesses would be proud with which to affiliate and bring groups to outings.

“You earn enormous political capital,” he said of such business outings. “The appreciation you get comes back many fold.”

But Salvi conceded that much of the work leading up to this inaugural season has gone beyond creating name recognition from scratch to overcoming the tainted reputation of the Schaumburg Flyers. The previous ballclub to play at the Schaumburg stadium was evicted in the winter of 2011 for unpaid bills.

“We're making every effort to be out in the community,” Salvi said. “One of the obstacles we have is our predecessor. I understand that, but those days are over.”

SBA members were able to look out onto the field Tuesday morning, where Salvi pointed out extensive grounds improvements and the place where a state-of-the-art video scoreboard soon will be installed.

“We are striving toward a pristine ballpark,” Salvi said. “Even in minor league baseball, fans have high expectations about technology and how you put on your show. They don't want to feel it's one step up from the high school game they just went to with their kid. I want you to know I'm really committed to making this a first-class franchise.”

Salvi has been the owner of the Gary SouthShore RailCats since 2008 and created the Boomers last year. In February he bought the North Shore Navigators, a collegiate summer team based in Lynn, Mass.

The Boomers will play their first home game May 25. The game will be followed by a fireworks display.