Press Release

05/29/2014

The Salinas Sports Complex is one of the elite venues for events in Monterey County. The complex is operated by the California Rodeo Inc. and is home to the annual California Rodeo Salinas each July as well as the Monster Jam, the Central Coast Motorsports Spectacular and many other community events. The small staff of only eleven full time employees oversees day to day operations of the arena, ball fields, Rabobank Stadium and surrounding areas. Roger La Fountain has been the General Manager for the past 14 years; he is set to retire on May 30th after overseeing over $25 million of improvements to the facility as well as successful events such as the sold out Eagles concert in 2005. Jeff Schumacher came on board with the association in early May and will take full responsibility of the facility on May 31st as La Fountain’s replacement.
Schumacher is a 17 year veteran of sports and entertainment management. With a degree in business from Salisbury University in Maryland, he has specialized in marketing, public relations, sales and booking. He worked as Marketing and Public Relations Manager at Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury, MD, Marketing and Sales Manager for Feld in their Southeast Region based in Atlanta, GA and Director of Marketing and Booking at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH.
In Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Schumacher served as the director of Soccer Operations and Comcast Spectator for Philadelphia KIXX, the Major Indoor Soccer League, and the Philadelphia Charge of the Women’s United Soccer Association. Schumacher went on to help open the State Farm Arena (formerly Dodge Arena) in Hidalgo, Texas where he became the General Manager. State Farm Arena was a jumping off point for Schumacher, after the job he went on to be the General Manager at Androscoggin Bank Coliseum in Lewiston, Maine, the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey, the Comcast Arena in Everett Washington and now finds a new home at the Salinas Sports Complex.
Schumacher says, “I am extremely proud to be joining the California Rodeo and Salinas Sports Complex as we move into the next decade and seek to attract more events to Salinas…I am looking forward to continuing the proud tradition of the rodeo.”