MiLB President PAT O'CONNER has also been named president of MiLB Enterprises following the departure of CMO MICHAEL HAND. O'Conner, president of MiLB since ‘07 and the organization's COO for 14 years before that, will now also add the duties of running the affiliated minors' marketing arm. O'Conner declined to detail the departure of Hand after two years, saying they "mutually agreed to part ways," but he credited Hand for helping create a new national sponsorship program for MiLB. Hand, a former IMG Worldwide exec, had been hired to run the so-called "Project Brand" for MiLB following a national search. O'Conner said does not yet know whether his stint as MiLB Enterprises President will be an interim one. "We're going to let the marketplace and our partners help us dictate where we need to go," O'Conner said. "I still believe very strongly in this program. There remains a ton of upside. But I'm making it a point in the immediate term to not have a preconceived notion on this." Meanwhile, O'Conner has notified MiLB's board of trustees he intends to seek a third four-year term as MiLB President when his current one expires in December. During the last such notification deadline in '11, O'Conner was initially unsure about whether to stay on the job before ultimately seeking and gaining a second term. This time, he said the decision arrived much easier. "I think I've grown and matured as an executive, and I am very bullish on our future as an industry," said O'Conner. A formal election on his re-election candidacy will occur in December. It is not yet known whether he will face any opposing candidates.
