F
or StubHub Center general manager Katie Pandolfo, there wasn’t a lightbulb moment that led her into facility management but rather the realization that her best skills could also empower others.
Katie Pandolfo
STUBHUB CENTER,
GENERAL MANAGER
“When it came to things like turf management or engineering, I wasn’t an expert in any one of those fields but I felt I was very good at managing people,” she said. “I took a step back and realized that I could have the most impact by guiding people who were the best in their fields.”
Pandolfo, who was named to her position in 2009 after having been with the venue and its owner, AEG, since 2004, credits her team for the success of the 125-acre facility, which includes not only the eponymous 27,000-seat stadium that’s home to MLS’s LA Galaxy, but also a tennis stadium, a track and field facility, and an indoor, wooden, cycling track, along with multiple training centers.
“If you look at our event makeup and what we do on a daily basis with our professional and Olympic athletes, all the way down to the camps and clubs for kids, it’s pretty incredible,” Pandolfo said. “I’m lucky that I’m able to surround myself with so many great people.”
Pandolfo emphasizes those personal connections, keeping an open-door policy for any of the more than 200 employees at the facility, and she strives for continued improvements at the venue, as well.
“I encourage people to walk around the stadium every day and come up with different ideas on how we can make the experience not just better for the guests who come in, but for all the employees and athletes that work here,” she said.
— Ian Thomas
