PaddleHeads Senior Director Named 2021 Executive of the Year

Missoula, MT.- The Missoula PaddleHeads Professional Baseball Club has been acknowledged in a multitude of separate ways for their success on the field in 2021. After claiming the Pioneer League Championship in September, four PaddleHeads players were acknowledged as league All-Stars, and first year skipper Michael Schlact was named the Pioneer League Manager of the Year. None of this success could have been possible however without the diligent front office of the PaddleHeads that also had a year to remember in 2021.

Kim Klages-Johns had a particularly successful year leading the PaddleHeads sales, and marketing team. Missoula would reach new all-time high marks in retail sales during the 2021 season. To acknowledge this success, Klages-Johns was promoted by the PaddleHeads to the position of Senior Director of Sales & Marketing in early October. But this promotion would only be the first honor to be bestowed upon this long-time member of the PaddleHeads front office. The Pioneer League announced on Tuesday that Klages-Johns has also been named the 2021 Pioneer League Executive of the Year to honor her successes during the 2021 season.

This is the first time that Klages-Johns has received this award from the Pioneer League in her time working with the PaddleHeads organization. She joins Team President Matt Ellis as the other active member of the PaddleHeads front office that has also received this honor. Furthermore, it is the first time that a woman has received this award in the 82-year history of the Pioneer League.

First-year Pioneer League President Michael Shapiro helped lead the league into uncharted waters in 2021 as the league entered its first season as a ‘Partner League’ with Major League Baseball. It was clear that Shapiro valued Klages-John’s contributions to the league and was incredibly pleased that she was acknowledged with this honor.

“The Pioneer League is so fortunate to have someone of Kim’s experience and expertise to not only help drive the PaddleHead’s tremendous brand success but also to assist the league in developing its new properties division,” Shapiro said. “We are extremely proud to have Kim break barriers in the PBL and in the sports industry as a whole.”

Klages-Johns has been a member of the Missoula front office since 2011 when she joined the Osprey as the Retail Manager of the MSO Hub. She would then go on to join the Missoula sales team in 2015 before her promotion to the role Director of Retail & Community Engagement in 2018. It was far from the beginning for Klages-Johns in the industry as she had previously owned her own retail business for 13 years prior to her time in baseball.

In the last 3 years, Klages Johns has overseen numerous changes within the organization that included the rebrand of the MSO Hub to the PaddleHeads Post, and the franchise name change from Osprey to PaddleHeads. These challenges proved to only be bumps in the road however as Major League Baseball would name the PaddleHeads rebrand as the top rebrand in all professional baseball in 2019, and Missoula would see new franchise highs in sales during the 2021 season. All of this while also taking on the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the eyes of Klages-Johns, none of this success would have been possible without the unrelenting support her family, friends, and the PaddleHeads fanbase.

“I am honored to be recognized by the Pioneer League,” Klages-Johns said. “Receiving this award would not be possible without my PaddleHeads team, the unending support of my family and friends, and of course, our beloved hometown baseball fans. I am so proud of this team and the entire Pioneer League for their tenacity and fight the last two years. I am excited to see what the future holds for all of us.”

It was not hard to spot one member of the PaddleHeads ownership group throughout the summer at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park as Seattle native Peter Davis regularly attended home games and at times also followed the team on the road. Davis was also able to be a part of a league championship celebration in Boise as PaddleHeads players, and coaches drenched Davis in champagne. It truly was a moment of joy that will always be a lasting image of a fabulous season. Davis knew that the Pioneer League Championship was won by not just players, and coaches but by all who were involved. However, it was clear that Davis felt that few had the impact across multiple fronts in the way that Klages-Johns did.

“There were many hands involved in building a championship team from top to bottom,” Davis said. “Kim’s leadership at the field, inside the PaddleHeads Post, and on the administrative side was absolutely fundamental to this championship. It would not have happened as beautifully as it did without her.”

Newly promoted Team President Matt Ellis has worked alongside Klages-Johns in the Missoula front office since she joined the team in 2011. In their time in the Garden City, they have also been a part of 3 Pioneer League Championship teams. Ellis looks forward to continuing this championship tradition in the front office with Klages-Johns in the years to come.

“It is an honor that a member of this front office received this esteemed honor,” Ellis said. “Our organization will continue to work hard for our community, corporate partners, fans, and team members to make PaddleHeads baseball the place to go for fun affordable family entertainment. Our goal is to provide our community a level of entertainment and community engagement that is unmatched in professional baseball. Kim has been an instrumental part of this organization, and I look forward to receiving her continued support.”

To stay up on all the latest offseason news from the Missoula PaddleHeads, visit www.gopaddleheads.com.