Relief owner picking up from where Schaumburg Boomers’ starter left off
Civic and business leaders met at Wintrust Field Wednesday to welcome the new owners of the Schaumburg Boomers and thank the team’s founder.
Boomers founder Patrick Salvi, an attorney who owned the Gary SouthShore RailCats, shared how he was offered the lease for either the Schaumburg or Joliet ballparks in 2011. A third party had acquired both ballparks through virtual fire sales of the former teams.
He chose Schaumburg.
“I knew, if well run, this could be a very successful franchise,” Salvi said.
What he didn’t realize was how the financial downfall of the Schaumburg Flyers had left a “scorched earth” situation that would take five years of hard work to regain fan loyalty.
Frontier League Commissioner Steve Tahsler noted the Boomers have become a standout team in minor league baseball. They have won four league titles and four Organization of the Year awards, and lead the league in attendance.
“The most important people we need to thank are the fans and the residents of the village of Schaumburg,” Tahsler said.
Salvi wasn’t thinking of selling the team when REV Entertainment, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, approached him last year.
REV Entertainment President Sean Decker said there are no plans for major changes to the Boomers. The company, which also bought the Kane County Cougars last year, seeks well-run teams that perform exceptionally in their markets.
REV’s portfolio also includes the Cleburne Railroaders and Long Island Ducks baseball teams, the New Mexico Goatheads hockey team, and venues in Mansfield, Texas and Noblesville, Indiana.
Decker mentioned that the closeness of the Boomers and Cougars is just a coincidence. However, it allows him to visit both teams easily with his young sons.
He assured the audience the stadium’s free parking would remain. And Decker sees potential for more non-baseball events at Wintrust Field in the future.
With the village of Schaumburg owning the stadium, Mayor Tom Dailly expressed happiness that its original vision — best achieved during Salvi’s ownership — would continue.
“This ballpark was always meant to be more than a venue, it was meant to bring people together,” Dailly said. “The Schaumburg Boomers took that vision to another level.”
Continuity in management will be ensured by General Manager and Executive Vice President Michael Larson, who Salvi recruited from Fargo eight years ago. His research and meetings with REV assured him that his priorities would be respected.
“Everything I heard was wonderful,” Larson said. “It was an absolutely easy decision to stay.”