Sportservice treats Ohio couple to seven parks in seven days
BUFFALO, N.Y. (April 6, 2007) – Delaware North Companies prides itself on the ability to create memorable experiences for customers around the world, one guest at a time. Therefore, when the company decided to give away the Ultimate Baseball Experience vacation package last summer, it knew it was an amazing prize. However, it wasn’t until Lori and Jimmy McClarren of South Bloomfield, Ohio won the travel package that Delaware North’s giveaway went from being a memorable experience to a once-in-a-lifetime-adventure.
As winners of the Delaware North Companies Ultimate Baseball Experience, Lori and her husband had the chance to receive airfare, hotel accommodations and a ballgame at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wis., U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Ill., Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich. and Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. Also included in the package was a unique getaway to Sequoia National Park in California. All of selected destination facilities are serviced by Delaware North Companies.
“I entered when I was looking up something on the Internet about ballparks,” Lori recalls. “Whenever I’m at the grocery store I always enter stuff and I never win…I’m not very lucky. But, when I found out we won this I was totally freaking out. My heart was palpitating and everything!”
“Delaware North operates at some of the most special facilities in the country,” stated Rick Abramson, president of Delaware North Companies Sportservice. “And, our ultimate goal is to enable people to experience these places. We truly want to give visitors the absolute best day whether it is at the ballpark or one of our national parks. With the Ultimate Baseball Experience, we were able to help the McClarrens do something they’ve always dreamed of doing. Those are the types of fan experiences we love to deliver at Delaware North.”
With Jimmy McClarren experiencing health problems last summer, the couple was only able to take advantage of five of the seven trips. That being said, Jimmy’s health problems enabled the couple to truly value the adventures they did take.
“We had five children and we’ve never been able to really get away and do things for ourselves like this,” Lori explained. “So, for us, this was our summer. It’s been just amazing. We missed two of the trips (U.S. Cellular Field and Miller Park) due to my husband being sick. He’s had some tough months and while he’s doing okay at the moment, we don’t know if we’ll ever be able to take a trip like this again.”
Being able to visit the different parks enabled the McClarrens to see how each stadium has a different feel to it. Lori referenced the high energy at Comerica Park in Detroit and the laid-back homey feel of Busch Stadium in St. Louis. She also noted the consistently great food at each of the ballparks.
“One of the Sportservice employees at Tiger’s Den in Comerica Park in Detroit made me some warm strawberries that were just wonderful,” Lori said. “There was consistently great food at all of the parks. I tried pasta salad with grapes in it, seafood, beef and bread that you’d only find at an expensive bakery; of course we also enjoyed many traditional hot dogs and peanuts too! It was just wonderful.”
“Every day we ask ourselves, how can we better serve our customers? Are we delivering the highest quality food at our stadiums?” explains Abramson. “Knowing we were able to give such a great adventure to the McClarrens, and how appreciative and grateful they were for their experience lets us know we’re doing something special and motivates us to do even more.”