COVERMASTER® WELCOMES BILL SQUIRES

A Word from Bill

I am honored that long-time friends Bob and Ken Curry asked me to participate in the COVERMASTER® E-NEWS Blog. I have known the Curry family since 1991 when I was managing Giants Stadium, and I began ordering COVERMASTER® products. That continued when I opened and managed Disney’s Wide World of Sports (ESPN Wide World of Sports), Cleveland Browns Stadium (First Energy Stadium), and then upon my return as the Vice President/General Manager of Giants Stadium.

I am from New Jersey, and I attended the United States Naval Academy. Upon graduation, I attended flight school, and I have over 4,000 hours flying the P-3 Orion (sub hunter) worldwide. I am often asked how I transitioned from a pilot in the Navy to managing sports facilities. So here is the story.

I planned on making the Navy a career until I had a chance to meet with Mr. George M. Steinbrenner III, the owner of the New York Yankees, in March 1986. At the time, I was the Communications Officer on the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F KENNEDY (CV-67). As the Communications Officer, I was aware in advance of all ship movements, and I learned the ship would be making a port call in Port Everglades, Florida, which is in Fort Lauderdale and the home of the New York Yankees spring training site. I played baseball in high school and college, and I grew up an avid Yankees fan. So, with the permission of my Commanding Officer, I arranged for 500 tickets for the crew of the KENNEDY to attend a Yankees spring training game and, in return, invited the Yankees ownership, manager, coaches, players, and their families for a tour of the ship, which they accepted.

On the night of the spring training game, I was sitting with Mr. Steinbrenner, and out of curiosity, I asked him how someone could get into the sports business. Without hesitation, he offered me a job. I had to make a very tough decision since I loved the Navy, but I decided to take the offer to work for the Yankees. I did retire from the Naval Reserves after 12 years on active duty and 12 years in the Reserves. I have been working with students interested in learning about and applying to the Naval Academy since 1991. I am currently serving a second and final term as a Naval Academy Alumni Association Board of Trustees member, so I continue to give back to the institution that has done so much for me. People tell me that I have a “cool” job working in sports, and I must say I enjoy what I do, but I tell them what I do now is fun, but when I served my country, that was important.

I have been involved in numerous events during my thirty-five years in the sports and entertainment facilities and event management industry, including Major League Baseball games, National League Football games, Grey Cup games, collegiate football games, concerts, international soccer matches, including seven games of the 1994 Men’s World Cup, and a Pope John Paul II Mass. In February, I worked my ninth Super Bowl, and I will be working at the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix in May.

I currently own The Right Stuff Consulting, Inc., which focuses on sports and entertainment facilities and event management. I am a past president of the Stadium Managers Association. I have been teaching the Sports Facilities and Event Management course in the Sports Management graduate program at Columbia University since 2007. I also participate on several boards that are related to the sports industry.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences in these blogs and providing insight on the various aspects of professional sports facilities and event management. I hope that you will enjoy and benefit from my blogs. My goal is to make a difference.

COVERMASTER® Note: Stay tuned for upcoming articles (every March, June, September, and December) relating to Bill’s firsthand experiences running a wide variety of facilities in the sports industry. You won’t want to miss his Blogs, as they’ll be a MUST READ!

Posted March 15, 2022