Portland LumberJax

[angela]

The Portland LumberJax have filed for involuntary suspension.

Our ownership group has decided not to relocate or "go dark". For numerous reasons, the largest being the economy (it may seem like a "sell out" response, but it's outrageous how much people have lost and no one wants to assume anymore risk right now) we have decided not to continue.

We did everything possible to stay in Portland. There are lots of issues that surrounded our health in Portland. I will elaborate if you have relevant questions. You, the fans, are the most important to any league, sport or team - you should not be left in the dark.

It has taken me this long because there are sensitive "negotiations" surrounding our franchise at the moment. We have still an opportunity to sell our franchise and we have potential buyers. That's all I can really say at this point.

I don't plan to go to the media with a statement, don't think its really necessary yet... (you know how awesome most of them have been to our franchise, sorry) we had more media show up the day we announced we were leaving than we have ever had the whole four years... Silcott even told them at our office door (as they asked for a statement), "hey guys, you're late, the season's over!"... and then shut the door.

I love Portland, I plan to stay here and raise my daughter. I wish things had been different. We ran into many situations that caused financial trouble. Again, I don't mind elaborating if you all have questions about it.

I think the league is in a great position. In my opinion, its about to hit a stride and find its home in the world of pro sports. I don't say this to be cheesy and "politically correct" but I really do believe in this league and these teams. It's a great sport and there are some fantastic people running this league (despite what you all may think) -- there are some great creative and financial minds behind this ship... decisions for TV etc. have reasons for being made that can't always be disclosed. Have faith in your passion of the NLL. They're on it...

I'm happy to answer questions, should you have any...

But... now that soon i will be a fan, not an owner... watch out MTBF... ; )

PS
Since it's a day of mourning -- I have to say I LOVED Michael Jackson... danced to his music all the time as a kid. He was such a musical genius... it's too bad that younger people may never really understand how influential he was on today's artists. I feel horrible for his family and his fans.

[thebullet]

Wow, this really sucks for you and the Lumberjax organization Angela.

Hopefully you guys are able to come back in 2011 very successfully somewhere in the northwest again.

[angela]

Originally Posted by thebullet

Wow, this really sucks for you and the Lumberjax organization Angela.

Hopefully you guys are able to come back in 2011 very successfully somewhere in the northwest again.

Joint ventures / Partnerships are definitely not out of the question. We would love to stay involved.

[MileHighMammoth]

From a previous post, you stated how the Lumberjax had a real small profit margin on ticket sales and didn't get any/or a little share of parking/food/etc. Was this a bad deal with the Rose Garden looking back on it? Outside of the economy, what things that were under your control would have you done differently looking back?

[dougm]

angela;
thank you for taking the time to discuss the jax and the health of the nll.
i have the following questions if you would be so kind to answer...

1 - it seems that to me that the biggest obstacle to the nll revenue stream is a lack of corporate sponsorship. i am not asking the league to sell its soul but how can league of such devoted fans be unable to convince companies that if you identify w/ us, there is a good chance we'll identify w/ the sponsor? its not just the recession but i'm going back to the nll itself when it took over from the mill.
2 - i don't agree that getting no revenue from concessions is major issue if the building rent is priced low enough. the arena makes $$ from butts in the seats that eat, drink, park & buy merchandise. at a certain level, the ticket price is not important ( i can speak that my night of attending a wings game is $20+ for the ticket but parking, food and drink is at least $40-$50, + an additional $100-$200 per season for merchandise. ) the big question is how do we price an nll ticket. to a diehard loyal fan like myself, $20 is a bargain. you have diehard fans that can pay more for a ticket, just buy 1-less beer or hot dog would add $5 to each ticket, but then you lose those who won't try out sport w/out a bargain priced ticket. i think the nll may have to give up chasing every potential new fan w/ a freebie and maybe price the fans it does have a little higher. it may mean a dent in the # of filled seats but it would mean more $ per seat filled.
3 - did the league ever truly recover from the briefly suspened season? it was a bitter labor fight, but did you ever regain your sealegs? the nll seemed to be in a putting out fire after fire since.
4 - did the nll concetrate to much on league revenue growth but not enough on team revenue growth? growth is a cash killer and the league was boasting of a 20+ team league in the near future. i think a more measured and modest approach would had reduced the # of problems.
5 - as someone who recalls the days when espn-2 carried weekly mill games and a weekly review show, why can't we regain our footing back on tv?
6 - why does pro lacrosse draw little publicity from sports' journalism? our players are more than accomodating to be interviewed, the fans will speak for hours about their passion for the game, its got all the excitement you could ever want in 2.50 hours and yet....pfft.
thank you in advance

[swami24]

You've heard it plenty of times Angela, but we as a community appreciate your posting here as athe only real news source for the fans of the league. Few people in the front offices are so forthcoming. here's hoping you come back, as you really seem dedicated to the sport and league we care about.

Here's hoping you soon own a team with a game of the week on national US TV.

[angela]

Lot of good questions...
I actually had answered some tonight but i took so long that the thing made me log in again and lost my post... ugh.

I have examples of decisions I regret, things we could not help, our lease etc.

I will post tomorrow... have a toddler i need to put to bed... : )

[Shootmaster_44]

This is disappointing for the league, but the bottom line is what matters.

I realize you want to remain in Portland and raise your family there, which is great. My question is, would you have considered moving the franchise and being an arms length owner?

I honestly, think that there are cities in Canada that would gladly support a NLL team. I think the first step is to run the team for a couple years from afar and once successful, local ownership would be easily found.

Has there been any serious interest in the team? What I mean is are you on the path of finding an owner for 2011 and simply need to cross the t's and dot the i's or is there much interest at all?

I have an idea for an ownership group that has owned teams in the past. I realize its the Iroquois that played bagataway, but the Battleford Tribal Council (mostly Cree) have owned franchises in Saskatoon in the past. With the connect to Aboriginal culture, I wonder if they would be interested in buying the 'Jax and placing them in Saskatoon? If you haven't explored that angle, Angela, I'd consider giving them a call. The other option would be the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. They seem to be interested in investing money in Saskatchewan as far as recreation goes and might very well be interested in taking the team on.

I'm sorry if it sounds like I don't think you've investigated all angles on this. I am just hopeful one day that some stable pro team will set up shop here in Saskatoon.

[mtbf]

The Portland LumberJax have filed for involuntary suspension.

I just find it strange that you have to file for involuntary suspension, seems like something that happens to you not something you ask for.

My only two questions would be
1)Did the Stealth sneak into the city you wanted to move to? If so was it above board or underhanded?
2)Has the league been fair with any attempt to sell because it seems like the NLL prefers to have owners go under instead of selling so the NLL gets new expansion fees. A practice I feel has kept franchise value artificially low and league coffers artificially inflated.

[mtbf]

But... now that soon i will be a fan, not an owner... watch out MTBF... ; )

That means I no longer have to play nice

[Tom Wersderfer]

Thanks for your posts Angela. I feel so bad for you and the Jax organization and the Jax fans. I know how commited you are to the team and the NLL. You are a great asset to the NLL and I hope that you are somehow able to stay involved with the Jax and the NLL.

Is there any chance of the Jax playing again in Portland or anywhere else in 2011 or even any chance of them still playing in 2010? I'd love to see the team stay in Portland or worst case scenerario, move to another city. The experts say the recession will start to wind down by the end of the year and hopefully the economy will start to pick up in 2010. If the economy does recover in 2010 then hopefully some of the corporate sponsorships will start to come back also.

Have you explored the possibility of moving to a smaller building in the Portland area or anywhere else? Some teams moving to smaller arenas may be the way to go in the future.

Please keep us posted on any further developments. Best of luck to you and the Jax.

[Tom Wersderfer]

Originally Posted by angela

Lot of good questions...
I actually had answered some tonight but i took so long that the thing made me log in again and lost my post... ugh.

I have examples of decisions I regret, things we could not help, our lease etc.

Suggestion for making long posts or e-mails. Whenever I have a lot to write in an e-mail or post on a message board, I write everything in a file using Microsoft Word or Microsoft Works Word Processor or any other type of program where you can save the text as a file. Once you have all your text saved in a file you can then just do a copy and paste from the saved file into an e-mail or message board post. That way if there are any technical difficulties and your e-mail or post doesn't work, you can just recopy and paste everything from the saved file again.

[RockyNY]

Angela...

I am NY Titans fan and during the course of 2009 NLL season, I went on 7 out of 8 road trips, beside going to 8 home games. In fact, I attended 14 NY Titans regular season game. I didnt go to one in Miami (Titans home game) and Colorado. I also went three Titans playoff games (two at Newark and one in Calgary - Canada). So, in total, I attended 17 NY Titans games during 2009 season.

I was looking foward of doing this again in 2010 season in which I would TRY to go to all 16 NY Titans games - meaning all 8 regular season road games. I did look into going to Portland but since that franchise has been suspended, I dont know what NY Titans' plan are for 2010 season. In fact, no one know where NY Titans will be playing. I understand that they will be back in 2010 but dont know where they will play. I heard some say it will be in Newark, CT or Orlando. There is strong rumors that Titans will be in Newark for 2010 and those location are used for leverage.

I will go on road trip if and only if Titans remain in Newark so I can follow my favorite team during winter. I do not know how many road trips I will go in 2010 since league have NOT release its schedule. I understand that there will be 11 teams in 2010. I have look into making road trip to, once league release its schedule, Everett, WA; Minnesota (again?), Colorado (maybe), Edmonton (dunno) and Calgary (no promise here).

So, since you are the owner, which city was the best road trip you went on, to follow Portland Lumberjax? Of course, I went to Boston, Buffalo. Rochester and Philadelphia. I didnt go to Toronto and would like to someday, if Titans do play at ACC in 2010, I would go, for sure, so I can visit Hockey Hall of Fame.

Many thanks,
Roy

[chuckster]

I'll miss the plaid uniforms -- I think that was a bold decision and it probably took some guts to do that.

Best of luck in your next venture! You've always been willing to talk to (and some times, mix it up with) the fans on this board -- too bad more owners don't do that. That gets some serious repsect in my book!

[Niknak]

Did you explore options outside Portland? If so, what cities have been explored as options for relocation? Seems like there may be some interest in some Candian cities or a city such as Kansas City wioth a newer yet unused arena would be possible options.

[WILaxFan]

Originally Posted by dougm

angela;
thank you for taking the time to discuss the jax and the health of the nll.
i have the following questions if you would be so kind to answer...

1 - it seems that to me that the biggest obstacle to the nll revenue stream is a lack of corporate sponsorship. i am not asking the league to sell its soul but how can league of such devoted fans be unable to convince companies that if you identify w/ us, there is a good chance we'll identify w/ the sponsor? its not just the recession but i'm going back to the nll itself when it took over from the mill.

5 - as someone who recalls the days when espn-2 carried weekly mill games and a weekly review show, why can't we regain our footing back on tv?

Angela,

I appreciate and thank you for being willing to talk to us (the fans)! Not every owner would do so - and I give you a lot of credit for being willing to have a dialogue with us during a time of so many unanswered questions facing the league!

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the two points listed above as well (as I'm sure other posters on here would be too).

[ParrotBayTaz]

Angela

Thank you very much for your candidness throughout your tenure - especially this pist which I know was tough to write. I wonder how many times you reworded something. There is something at the front of my list to ask you - Are you aware if the league is trying to get the owners to move to the smaller venues (the move of the Stealth, the rumour of you going to Abbotsville and the rumor of the Rock?). I know more questions are to follow. Thanks again for everything.

[The_Philster]

Really a shame anytime a team has to go through this...hopefully it's a temporary thing...I enjoyed the 2008 NLL Title game

Originally Posted by mtbf

That means I no longer have to play nice

When did you start playing nice?

[angela]

Okay, let me start with dougm because they may answer some of the other questions...

1. In my opinion (and obviously I’m not expert) : The corporate executives are given an advertising budget and when they look into the world of sports as an avenue for their advertising (which many don’t even consider sports) they want to make sure it encompasses all outlets – what I mean is, national TV deals, national sport recognition, what the kids are not only playing in schools, but what they are buying into – families spend money getting behind their kids and their sports – from equipment to college scholarships to pro events. In lacrosse, this is all the field game in the States. They want to connect themselves to a sport and stay with it in their advertising all the way through those levels… high school, equipment, college, pros. With the NLL, we’re inexpensive for the attendance figures we get, but we only offer limited advertising opportunities since we are a league that essentially (in the corporate minds) stands alone in the states in our sport. It’s like buying the big comfortable chair that is a “great deal”, but it doesn’t go with anything in your living room and it’s sort of this one-off piece that never really fits in your living room décor. These companies buy packages (living room sets), they pick their sports and they find a way to connect and advertise with them on all levels. It stretches their dollar and makes them recognizable to the consumers. This is why the possibility of IMG is a great one. They have the ability to package all of our offerings with other lacrosse events on all levels and create the package that ESPN, McDonalds or whoever is looking for. Again, my opinion.
2. Ticket pricing is a big issue in my mind. I think we may have screwed up here. You are correct when you say it’s a line between the die-hards and the potentials that come based on an affordable ticket price. We worked for months fitting our ticket pricing to be able to sell affordable tickets while making the most of our sections that sell to die-hards. I think we made a huge mistake by not pricing those 100 level middle sections at $35-$38 rather than $23-$28. That extra $ would have helped… not made us profit by any means, but we would have definitely lost less. As far as the concessions, that’s why I think it IS important because you have more incentive and less risk giving discounts or comps to schools (potentials) etc. because they’re still eating and drinking. We don’t expect all concessions because of course that’s how arenas make their money, but a small percentage – even 15% is fantastic to our bottom line.
3. The labor dispute was upsetting on a lot of levels. The league was forced to make sometimes ridiculous rules just to get around the issues we faced involving losing arena dates etc. We really didn’t have many options. At that point we had to just “get it together” and go on. My opinion, the league is in the best place it’s been since I came into it in 2005. We have finally taken a step back from our regular way of business. I think the league will start to make some big strides.
4. Agreed. In my opinion, I think our incentives were in the wrong place. Many would disagree with me.
5. I think this answer is in #1.
6. Lack of media coverage: I don’t know. I tried everything. I even thought about getting arrested, taking steroids and paying the refs, since it seems to work in the other sports. I think it comes down to advertising dollars… I hate to say it, but I’m pretty sure if the Jax had spent $5Million in advertising with our local stations and newspapers in Portland this season, we’d be getting a whole lot more coverage.

[angela]

I would have moved with the team – I was very committed. I would have also been an arms length owner, but most of my work with the team is something that I would need to be local. We looked all over the country for options.

The relocation was not the issue. Everett was very attractive. That was our best option, by far. MTBF, they waited for us to decide if we were going to go or not. When the answer was no, we told them all about it. It was very clean and no one was snubbed. Brian and I spent week after week traveling up there to get a deal done, and it was a great deal that we were prepared to accept. The issue was that none of our owners wanted the risk anymore. We had numerous interested parties for a partnership in the Seattle area, but no one wanted to put up the hard cash with risk. Most wanted a way out if we didn’t hit our projections. That’s not what we needed. Again, in this economy, people aren’t about to start a new venture with a lot of risk for financial losses and no real upside. If this was 2005, we would be in Everett right now, with no new partners in a heartbeat. I hope San Jose does very well up there. I think they will do a great job in the community as they did in San Jose. It will be nice to see them sell out...

[Wings-4-Life]

This clears up quite a bit. Thanks Angela.

[angela]

To answer some more questions regarding why we have decided to quit and not even "go dark" you would have to understand the background of our owners.

My father grew up with nothing. He was a tuna fisherman. He and my brother (who is 50, we have different mothers) started a real estate company 30 years ago with a small loan. A couple of years ago it was sold to Morgan Stanley. You can look it up if you’re interested. www.glenborough.com.

My brother has stayed on to run it. And as you know Morgan Stanley is not taking the hit of the economy very well. My father and Wally are both retired, and then me.

So at this point, this year, as we go through our investment in the Jax – here is where we were --- My father is retired, and has taken a big hit on his investment income (as most of have). He’s not interested in putting up more money, but more importantly doesn’t want to worry about the risk of a total disaster. My brother is not interested in putting up any money at all and would have probably quit two years ago if it were up to him. Wally would have come in for some money also, but he (like my father) did not want the risk either. And then there is me, I would never have enough on my own nor would I get approved by the league because my personal net worth is no where near what is needed. While I put up the majority of the franchise price, I have not covered losses in years, only small amounts when I can.

While this is sad to lose this team, I can only be thankful that we have not lost what most of the country has... there are retired 75 year olds going back to work because their retirement investments are worthless. It's awful what has happened.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by MileHighMammoth

From a previous post, you stated how the Lumberjax had a real small profit margin on ticket sales and didn't get any/or a little share of parking/food/etc. Was this a bad deal with the Rose Garden looking back on it? Outside of the economy, what things that were under your control would have you done differently looking back?

Albany was in the same situation. Herb (the owner) told us that the arena was a union shop and also that they got nothing in terms of concessions and parking and next to nothing on gear...

Our media sucked too...

[angela]

Roy,

My favorite place to go… I’m kind of upset that we never played Toronto. Ever. Although I did go to the all star game there one year. I think Colorado has a great atmosphere, but (and sorry) I hate traveling to Denver – I get sick every time. I think the altitude gets to me. I enjoyed traveling to San Jose because I would get to see all of my family. We had a huge cheering section when the Jax would come to town. Minnesota has one of the nicest arenas. The people were very friendly also. So, I guess they all have their good and bad... I have a feeling Everett will be a favorite! I'm going to have to learn to cheer for Doyle and Martin... ; )

[Vin]

Angela, this is sort of a stupid question, but....

If the Jax are folded, then which team will you be a fan of?