woodbuck27
06-04-2007, 02:11 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070603/GPG0101/706030665/1989
Posted June 3, 2007
Packers say franchise is still strong at the top
Questions linger after Jones' departure
By Tony Walter
twalter@greenbaypressgazette.com
Katheryn Foxx, a Green Bay native living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, stood in the Lambeau Field parking lot on Thursday and looked toward the Green Bay Packers' corporate offices.
"They're being vague," she said. "It makes me think there's trouble in upper management."
No trouble. No disorganization. No reason for fans, stockholders or anyone touched by the long arms of the Packers franchise to be concerned, say the men and women who control the administrative functions of the corporation.
"Our bench strength is very, very good," corporation secretary Peter Platten III said six days after he announced that team president John Jones is taking a leave of absence, a move everyone connected with the team assumes will end his association with the Packers.
"I don't call it a setback. It's a situation. The company will continue. We had to do what we had to do when we had to do it."
What they did was set in motion a public discussion of the non-football side of the Green Bay Packers just as fans were simmering down from the highly publicized Brett Favre-Randy Moss-Ted Thompson frenzy.
The specific reasons for Jones' departure remain an untouchable topic for Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Harlan and members of the team's executive committee and board of directors.
Jones did not return repeated calls from the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
But two days after the team's board of directors unanimously accepted the explanation for Jones' leave-taking and agreed to extend Harlan's tenure, team officials took steps to reassure Packers Nation that the administrative and financial state of the corporation is steady.
"The Packers corporation right now is in the best financial position it has ever been," said Larry Weyers, president of Integrys Energy Group and treasurer of the Packers' executive committee.
"You're going to see a continuation of our success" when the team reveals its annual financial report later this month.
While direct feedback from fans has been minimal — Harlan said he hasn't received a single piece of communication about the Jones situation — fans are watching the off-field activities of the corporation.
"One thing that concerns me is that we don't know what happened," said Joe Golson of Little Chute. "But I have too much confidence in management and think things will be as good as ever."
But for some, there is discontent.
"Aren't the Packers accountable to their shareholders and the city of Green Bay, the owners of the Packers?" wrote Roger Chemel, a Green Bay native living in Olympia, Wash.
"Apparently not."
"I find it incredible that a multimillion-dollar organization can have an employee for eight or nine years 'training' for the lead job and find out in the ninth inning that he is 'not a fit managerially' for the organization," wrote Ron Opicka of Casco.
"We should all send them another donation like the one they are taxing us for now."
For others, there is acceptance.
"Harlan has the team's best interest at heart, both long-term and short-term. We'll have enough adjustments to deal with in the post-Favre era, and we don't need 'management issues' at the top to complicate matters in the interim," wrote David Bossard of Fairmont, W.Va.
"(Harlan) could have 'calmed down' the employees who questioned Jones' leadership and rode quietly into the sunset," wrote John Burgoyne of Weatherford, Texas. "He didn't. He took a courageous action that he knew would reflect directly on him and raise all kinds of questions."
There also is indifference, perhaps.
"I'm not so sure this is that big a story to a majority of Packer fans," said St. Norbert College economics professor Kevin Quinn, who has written extensively about the impact of professional sports.
"It's water-cooler talk so far. People are talking more about what Lindsay Lohan is doing. But I think it's also because the fan base doesn't know Jones like it knows Harlan or (Ron) Wolf. This is something to talk about when the draft is distantly behind us and the opening of training camp is several weeks away."
Weyers said the Packers are structured so "no one is irreplaceable. It might get a little stressful but we're set up to handle it."
The set-up changed dramatically a year ago when Jones had heart surgery and was away from work for an extended time. Harlan asked corporate counsel Jason Wied and director of finance Vicki Vannieuwenhoven to take on many of Jones' duties in his absence.
Then, in April, Jones promoted both Wied and Vannieuwenhoven to vice president. They, and executive vice president and General Manager Ted Thompson alone report directly to Harlan until a new president is named. Wied and Vannieuwenhoven also will attend many league meetings and all executive committee meetings, signifying their growing stature within the corporation.
Platten said the function of the executive committee, which makes corporate decisions when the 46-member board of directors is not in session, changed after Lambeau Field was renovated as it became evident that more staff would be required to meet the demands of what became a major tourist attraction.
He also said Harlan's decision to develop a committee structure within the executive committee was pivotal in shaping a more corporate style of management.
"Our role is oversight and advisory," Platten said. "It wasn't always that way. There was a time when Ole (former team president Dominic Olejniczak) and Fred Trowbridge ran the place, but there has been a slow evolution to this."
While Weyers acknowledged the need for a corporate model for the franchise, he added, "We can never forget that what we are about is football."
Posted June 3, 2007
Packers say franchise is still strong at the top
Questions linger after Jones' departure
By Tony Walter
twalter@greenbaypressgazette.com
Katheryn Foxx, a Green Bay native living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, stood in the Lambeau Field parking lot on Thursday and looked toward the Green Bay Packers' corporate offices.
"They're being vague," she said. "It makes me think there's trouble in upper management."
No trouble. No disorganization. No reason for fans, stockholders or anyone touched by the long arms of the Packers franchise to be concerned, say the men and women who control the administrative functions of the corporation.
"Our bench strength is very, very good," corporation secretary Peter Platten III said six days after he announced that team president John Jones is taking a leave of absence, a move everyone connected with the team assumes will end his association with the Packers.
"I don't call it a setback. It's a situation. The company will continue. We had to do what we had to do when we had to do it."
What they did was set in motion a public discussion of the non-football side of the Green Bay Packers just as fans were simmering down from the highly publicized Brett Favre-Randy Moss-Ted Thompson frenzy.
The specific reasons for Jones' departure remain an untouchable topic for Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bob Harlan and members of the team's executive committee and board of directors.
Jones did not return repeated calls from the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
But two days after the team's board of directors unanimously accepted the explanation for Jones' leave-taking and agreed to extend Harlan's tenure, team officials took steps to reassure Packers Nation that the administrative and financial state of the corporation is steady.
"The Packers corporation right now is in the best financial position it has ever been," said Larry Weyers, president of Integrys Energy Group and treasurer of the Packers' executive committee.
"You're going to see a continuation of our success" when the team reveals its annual financial report later this month.
While direct feedback from fans has been minimal — Harlan said he hasn't received a single piece of communication about the Jones situation — fans are watching the off-field activities of the corporation.
"One thing that concerns me is that we don't know what happened," said Joe Golson of Little Chute. "But I have too much confidence in management and think things will be as good as ever."
But for some, there is discontent.
"Aren't the Packers accountable to their shareholders and the city of Green Bay, the owners of the Packers?" wrote Roger Chemel, a Green Bay native living in Olympia, Wash.
"Apparently not."
"I find it incredible that a multimillion-dollar organization can have an employee for eight or nine years 'training' for the lead job and find out in the ninth inning that he is 'not a fit managerially' for the organization," wrote Ron Opicka of Casco.
"We should all send them another donation like the one they are taxing us for now."
For others, there is acceptance.
"Harlan has the team's best interest at heart, both long-term and short-term. We'll have enough adjustments to deal with in the post-Favre era, and we don't need 'management issues' at the top to complicate matters in the interim," wrote David Bossard of Fairmont, W.Va.
"(Harlan) could have 'calmed down' the employees who questioned Jones' leadership and rode quietly into the sunset," wrote John Burgoyne of Weatherford, Texas. "He didn't. He took a courageous action that he knew would reflect directly on him and raise all kinds of questions."
There also is indifference, perhaps.
"I'm not so sure this is that big a story to a majority of Packer fans," said St. Norbert College economics professor Kevin Quinn, who has written extensively about the impact of professional sports.
"It's water-cooler talk so far. People are talking more about what Lindsay Lohan is doing. But I think it's also because the fan base doesn't know Jones like it knows Harlan or (Ron) Wolf. This is something to talk about when the draft is distantly behind us and the opening of training camp is several weeks away."
Weyers said the Packers are structured so "no one is irreplaceable. It might get a little stressful but we're set up to handle it."
The set-up changed dramatically a year ago when Jones had heart surgery and was away from work for an extended time. Harlan asked corporate counsel Jason Wied and director of finance Vicki Vannieuwenhoven to take on many of Jones' duties in his absence.
Then, in April, Jones promoted both Wied and Vannieuwenhoven to vice president. They, and executive vice president and General Manager Ted Thompson alone report directly to Harlan until a new president is named. Wied and Vannieuwenhoven also will attend many league meetings and all executive committee meetings, signifying their growing stature within the corporation.
Platten said the function of the executive committee, which makes corporate decisions when the 46-member board of directors is not in session, changed after Lambeau Field was renovated as it became evident that more staff would be required to meet the demands of what became a major tourist attraction.
He also said Harlan's decision to develop a committee structure within the executive committee was pivotal in shaping a more corporate style of management.
"Our role is oversight and advisory," Platten said. "It wasn't always that way. There was a time when Ole (former team president Dominic Olejniczak) and Fred Trowbridge ran the place, but there has been a slow evolution to this."
While Weyers acknowledged the need for a corporate model for the franchise, he added, "We can never forget that what we are about is football."