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in growing a parks and recreation program that meets the quality of life of its local community and continued recruitment of top tournaments.
“When we recruit tournaments, we make a promise that we are going to deliver excellent facilities and customer service,” Page said. “And while they are here we are following up on that promise.”
Page gives credit to the VLPRA sta for making each event a success and helping in the e orts to generate repeat business.
“The VLPRA sta is truly second to none,” said Page. “Our athletics and parks teams work tirelessly to get elds and facilities in pristine shape for tournament participants, sometimes working into the night or coming to the park at 3 or 4 in the morning to get elds ready. These tournaments simply wouldn’t be possible without these dedicated individuals.”
“The competition is tough, and we have to be on our toes,” said Page. “Other communities are doing all they can to take the business away, so when an event comes to our town, we go above and beyond, even the small stu .”
Page said the goal is for VLPRA to retain current tournaments for future
years while recruiting new events.
“Our goal is to continue increasing our economic impact each year,” Page said. “With two additional tournaments in 2017, I hope we can reach the $7 million [economic impact] before Dec. 31.”
A new soccer complex and additional tennis courts will be critical as we broaden our tournament options. Our main focus has been baseball and softball, but the new construction allows for a diverse mix of sports.
— Mike McDowell
BUSINESS + CULTURE 25