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WAY TO GO RICH AND THE SOUL



I posted this because of this guy.

he's my cousin.

Experience with Titans is a part of Lisk's Soul

Saturday, July 26, 2008

BY RICH FISHER

Special to the Times

Wherever Rich Lisk goes, on- field success seems to follow.

Thanks to Lisk, it is usually a well-attended, well-marketed success.

The former Trenton Titans (now Trenton Devils) vice president of marketing and sales, whose skills routinely helped fill the Sovereign Bank Arena, is at it again as general manager of the Philadelphia Soul.

The Soul (15-3) will try giving Philadelphia a desperately craved championship at the New Orleans Arena tomorrow when they meet the San Jose SaberCats (13-5) in ArenaBowl XXII. It is the Soul's first ArenaBowl appearance and they have captured the city's fancy by getting there behind back-up quarterback Matt D'Orazio.

Granted, it's not the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers or Sixers, but for a city without one title from those teams in 25 years, the fifth-year Soul can help fill the void.

"Absolutely," said Lisk via phone from New Orleans. "You can see it over our five-year progression. We started well and had a period of leveling out, but we've sustained a following.

"This is a crowded sports and entertainment market to carve out a niche. But our attendance went up this year and we averaged 16,700 fans over eight games and filled our building 98 percent every night. That tells us we are in the echelon of Philadelphia sports."

If that doesn't, then consider this:

"We have 2,000 fans coming down here on buses and planes," said Lisk, a Rutgers graduate and 13-year Lawrenceville resident. "That's not something you plan on doing. It has to be a spur of the moment thing. And in this economy, to have 2,000 people jump on that shows they've jumped into Soul football."

There are two reasons -- win ning and marketing.

The energetic Lisk deftly handles day-to-day business operations such as public relations, ticketing, promotions and merchandis ing.

Since interning with Madison Square Garden Boxing, the Red Bank native's career has climbed steadily, with stops at Comcast Spectacor, World Wrestling Entertainment and Anheuser-Busch Entertainment promotions.

Lisk and the Titans started together in 1998, and he was named ECHL Marketing Executive of the Year in 2001-02. After reaching all of his goals in Trenton, Lisk moved on to the Soul in 2006.

A native Jersey boy, he knew all about rocker Jon Bon Jovi, the Soul's famous co-majority owner with Craig Spencer, as well as Bon Jovi bandmate Richie Sambora and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, who are in the front office.

"Jon and Craig are both very, very dynamic people and very successful in their areas of business," Lisk said. "It was a little intimidating coming in and sitting in that first meeting and saying, 'Wow, look at the people in this room.'

"But the best part for me is, they give you every resource you want, they trust you with your job. It's a tremendous experience for myself to be around people like Jon and Craig. Jon's been around for 20 years. He's not just a rock band, he's a brand name. He doesn't say 'No, I can't do this.' It's a case of 'How can we do this?' Anyone in my position can thrive with that attitude."

And thrive, he has.

After essentially becoming the team's first full-time GM (the first one quit one month into year one), Lisk drew on his Titans' background.

"You have to take the grass roots approach and be out there at different events," he said. "Attend the street fairs, make your players and coaches known. It's a 24/7 thing."

Lisk did it so well that the Soul and the Chicago Rush were named co-winners of the 2007 Commissioner's Award as the league's exemplary franchises.

Always a popular ticket, selling out 93 percent of their home games the first four years, the Soul increased attendance by 200 per game last season despite an unfavorable home schedule of five weeknight games out of eight.

"One of the first goals I set was for us to win that award," Lisk said. "When they called our name (at the ArenaBall) it was an unbelievable feeling and an extremely great honor to go up and accept it for our team and our front office guys."

Things have only gotten better. The Soul set a team record for home attendance this season, had busloads of fans venture to Nassau Coliseum on Long Island for the regular-season finale that decided the East Division title, and had a huge sendoff at the airport when they left for New Orleans. The town of Conshohocken, Pa., even named a street after the Soul.

Lisk's crowning achievement came earlier this month, when the Soul held "Chris Jackson Day" in Jackson's hometown of Morrisville, Pa. The receiver was this year's AFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Because the Soul's first playoff game was Saturday, July 5, Lisk worried the Jersey Shore invasion would severely hamper attendance. He decided to award a free ticket to any Morrisville resident who attended Jackson's party. Thus, the Soul had 2,500 extra fans at their first-round win over the New York Dragons

CNBC Sports business reporter Darren Rovell wondered in his blog if it was "the best promotion ever."

"Totally and utterly beyond what I imagined," Lisk said. "Sometimes you try a promotion and they don't work, but this one was a home run."

Just another in a long line of dingers for the organization, which recently added a training facility in Voorhees thanks to Lisk's efforts.

"We're ahead of what everyone thought," Lisk said. "Our attendance has been great, we've made the playoffs the last three years. Last year we had our first home playoff game, this year we're in the ArenaBowl."

Win or lose the ArenaBowl, the Soul will be talked about in Philadelphia.

Rich Lisk sees to that.

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 "Hey man, did you see that? His body hit the street with such a beautiful thud" 

 

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Originally Posted By: seasidebargirl
Their win yesterday will probably be the only championship Philly sees in the next 20 years.



Thats cool.
Then my cousin will be remembered for a great thing grin

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 "Hey man, did you see that? His body hit the street with such a beautiful thud" 

 

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