Centerplate’s newly appointed president and CEO,
Chris Verros, takes over a company that went through a pretty rough stretch last summer.
Verros takes over the top position after Des Hague resigned in early September. Hague was caught on a security video physically abusing a dog in a Vancouver hotel elevator.
Centerplate’s board of directors initially sanctioned Hague and put him on “indefinite probation,” but the public outcry for Hague’s removal grew and fans called for boycotting Centerplate’s food and retail operations at MLB and NFL stadiums. A few days later, Centerplate announced Hague’s resignation.
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Chris Verros is Centerplate’s new president and CEO.
Photo by: CENTERPLATE
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Verros, at the time Centerplate’s COO, was named acting president and CEO during the episode, but he said he was not involved in the board’s actions on Hague’s job status. Over that 10-day period of uncertainty, Verros’ role was to keep the business running and ensure that Centerplate’s clients and employees were kept updated on the situation.
His efforts were rewarded. In early November, the board officially approved Verros as Centerplate’s new president and CEO.
Centerplate’s new leader has spent about 35 years in sports concessions, including stints at Ogden Food Service, Fine Host and Boston Culinary Group. All three brands have disappeared through industry consolidation, but Verros has survived and now he sits atop the food chain at Centerplate.
Looking back at how it all unfolded, Centerplate officials did not feel a tremendous amount of pressure from clients demanding Hague’s removal from the company, according to Verros. “Internally, I can tell you we didn’t get one call that said, ‘He’s gotta go,’” Verros said.
“Everybody said they were going to sit back and wait and see what the board decided to do,” he said. “I think our clients recognized how important the decision was — it’s one that you just can’t make overnight. It took time and they did their diligence and they came up with their decision.”
Outside of the Hague incident, Centerplate has had a strong fall season anchored by Levi’s Stadium and AT&T Park, two Bay Area accounts.
The vendor plays an integral role in technology at Levi’s, the San Francisco 49ers’ new facility, and each week gets better for Centerplate’s on-site staff as it gets more comfortable running a mobile food ordering system covering the entire stadium, Verros said.
“The infrastructure was built for mobile devices,” Verros said. “If you don’t have the proper back-of-house [systems] then you’re going to fail miserably. It’s just not as easy as having an application, and that’s what a lot of these technology companies haven’t necessarily realized.”
Internationally, Centerplate has expanded its business in the United Kingdom and Spain, including a joint venture tied to developing a new stadium for Atlético Madrid set to open in 2016.
This comes as competition is heating up domestically. Legends Hospitality and Ovations Food Services have elbowed their way into the mix and won some major league food deals in North America.
“It’s a mature marketplace,” Verros said. “We’re very comfortable with our position. We’re pretty selective with the way we approach new business opportunities, and we’re happy to compete with anybody.”
> BRAMLAGE BOARD: Kansas State has spent about $2.5 million in technology upgrades for Bramlage Coliseum, the school’s 26-year-old arena. The centerpiece is a new Panasonic center-hung video board with displays four times larger than the old Daktronics boards.
In addition, the arena has a new sound system and an LED sports light system designed by Musco Lighting. The energy-efficient lights will cut energy costs by 40 percent, Athletic Director John Currie said. The upgrades are the arena’s first since adding loge boxes in 2007.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
