It's all hands on deck for the time being in the operation of Finley Stadium.
Stadium Corp. board members gathered Tuesday morning for the first time since the Feb. 28 resignation of executive director Paul Smith, who had held that role since January 2014. Board chairman Gordon Davenport has divided Smith's tasks in the interim, with busy schedules on the horizon for April and May.
Paul Smith, executive director for Finley Stadium, speaks during a news conference at Finley Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2016.
Gordon Davenport, shown here in 2005 after artificial grass was installed at Finley Stadium, will follow in his father's footsteps by becoming the chairman of the Stadium Corp. in January.
"Events are moving forward," Davenport said. "There are a bunch of loose ends to work through, but we're working through them."
This will be the longest stretch the 20,668-seat facility will be without an executive director since the first few months of 2005. Former Chattanooga Lookouts owner Frank Burke operated Finley Stadium from June 2005 to June 2009, when he stepped aside and Merrill Eckstein took over.
Eckstein retired at the end of 2013, making way for Smith.
"We've been down this road before," board member Ryan Crimmins said.
Crimmins provided the financial report Tuesday and said JHM Certified Public Accountants would assist with the paying of bills and balancing of checkbooks. The stadium had an operating profit of $16,000 through February for this fiscal year, but Crimmins said expenses are up roughly $267,000 from this time last year and that revenue is up only $177,000 by comparison.
That does not include the income Finley expects to receive from hosting a pair of soccer events in February that drew more than 30,000 spectators.
"It's not a good trend, and we've got to fix it," Crimmins said. "We're definitely aware of it. We're still operating in the black, and given the changes we've had, that's a good thing."
Board members Mike Davis and Tim Kelly are overseeing maintenance and assisting Davenport in finding Smith's successor. Davenport said he already has collected several "promising" resumes.
"We're just in step one of this," Davenport said. "There is no timetable, but we certainly have a sense of urgency. The search time frame is whatever is needed to get the right guy for the position.
"I don't want to give an artificial date or deadline."
Davenport announced that Sarah Hooper of Dish T'Pass has been hired as Finley Stadium's full-time food and beverage manager. Hooper is scheduled to start April 11.
"There is a lot of paddling going on under the water, but we're still going," Davenport said. "The good news is that the use of this asset is nonstop."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.