At the core of that food operation in the new Albuquerque park is Jay Satenspiel, who has had his successes in Memphis, one of the premiere parks in the minor league system. Very much in the Young mold of thinking, when you talk to him it is quite clear that his goals are not set low. When asked if he was planning on building the best food service team in the city, he replied with a smile with "In the country." Given the legendary difficulties in hiring reliable workforce in New Mexico, his accomplishments in developing a friendly, pleasant staff that provides world-class service are not to be taken lightly.
The Model for Many That Follow
Young's operations, then and now, continue to be a model for the baseball community, where, by his estimation, 70-75% of the fans attending games are not baseball fans, per se.
"We had visitors from most of those [cities and ownership groups in the International and Pacific Coast League] surveying how we did things."
'Boy Ken, we had a great time here tonight.'
The greatest compliment does not come from his peers, or from die-hard baseball fans.
"To me the one of the biggest compliments is when somebody leaves, and they may not even know what the final score of the game was, but they say 'boy Ken, we had a great time here tonight.'
It is for his role as a pioneer in purveying that feel good experience that brings larger numbers of fans back for the Dippin' Dots® and the baseball, that we honor Ken Young as the MLN 2003 Minor League Businessman of the Year.
From colorful signage to fast-serve carts, Young's parks have a carnival-like feel that brings new dimensions of entertainment to the minor league baseball park.
