{image1}Not many men in life get to work their dream job. Fewer men get to perform that dream job in their hometown, and even fewer, still, never have to leave home.
Jon Greenberg is one of those men.
Better known in local media circles as the Milwaukee Brewers' long-time media relations director, Greenberg joined the Milwaukee Admirals earlier this year as team president under new owner Harris Turer.
While bump in title and responsibility is a great reward for a man that worked his way up through the ranks as a Brewers' batboy, a score taker at the Journal Sentinel and an intern with the Brewers, it also symbolizes a pleasant change in Milwaukee's sports scene.
Greenberg and Turer represent those all too uncommon success stories of local boys done good. Both are born and raised here, both cut their teeth here, both graduated from the local state university, and both have made a commitment to making this town a better place for sports fans.
And they're doing it the right way.
Let's face it; the Admirals are a minor league franchise. There is no need to frill up the situation into some Fifth Avenue boutique like the NBA, and no need to cater to the region like the Milwaukee Brewers (a team that Harris also has an ownership stake in).
No, instead, the Admirals are Milwaukee's team. It's an affordable product. It's a winning product. And with sagging and lackluster attendance the past several years -- which included the American Hockey League Championship in 2004 -- Greenberg and Turer have made it their mission to make it a well-known product in the community.
These guys knew going in that as a minor league franchise, the roster is controlled by the parent club (in this case, the Nashville Predators). So to make up for that lack of control, they had to make the product around the games just as entertaining.
And they also knew, that do to that, they would need to surround themselves with some smart people, with smart ideas. Phil Witliff stayed on as general manager, while 24-year veteran staffer Mike Wojciechowski is still heading up the marketing team.
The Admirals worked out a corporate partnership with the Brewers, even getting new owner Mark Attanasio, and ace pitcher Ben Sheets to invest in the club.
It's going to be an uphill battle to get the Admirals back to the days when a crowd of over 10,000 was commonplace at the Bradley Center, but Greenberg and Turer are making steps in the right direction.
And while it's a dream come true for those two to run their own team, its even more special and more rewarding for them to be doing it right here in Milwaukee.
Let's hope that spirit catches on elsewhere in this community. And if the infectious excitement of Greenberg and Turer is any barometer, that should happen sooner rather than later.
