Spokane Indians Named MiLB Organization of the Year

ORLANDO, Florida -- Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) announced the 2021 winners of the Organization of the Year Award, Executive of the Year Award, Future Star Award and the CommUNITY Champion Award on Monday. Nominees from each league were selected by their peers and were candidates for the overall awards.

Organization of the Year – Spokane Indians (High-A Affiliate of the Colorado Rockies)

The Spokane Indians claimed their first Organization of the Year Award after setting a franchise record in sponsorship sales, posting a 95 percent increase in online ticket sales and partnering with a local Air Force base for a program that generated national attention and was critically acclaimed.

As a team that runs its own concessions operation, the Indians introduced mobile concessions ordering in 2021, which accounted for 11 percent of total transactions and 16 percent of the total food and beverage revenue. On average, orders using their mobile app were 52 percent higher than other concessions transactions.

The Indians continued to build their partnership with the Spokane tribe of Indians, collaborating with the Tribal Council on multiple events and initiatives. In 2021, the partnership led to the revitalization of a nearly unusable baseball and softball field complex at the entrance to the Spokane Tribe of Indians Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Additionally, the club continues to honor the Spokane Tribe’s Salish language dialect by using Salish lettering on its home and road jerseys and in signage at Avista Stadium. The club also collaborated with the Tribe on a Native-themed basketball court in Spokane that features artistic imagery and Salish lettering on the court.

The Indians’ partnership with Fairchild Air Force Base became known as Operation Fly Together, which won the Golden Bobblehead Award for Best Community Promotion/Event. The initiative celebrated the KC-135 Stratotanker (a refueling aircraft based at Fairchild) and the active airmen and women serving on the base as well as the thousands of veterans from all branches of the Armed Forces who reside in the Spokane community. On “Operation Fly Together Fridays,” the Indians wore special uniforms designed to look like the dress blue uniforms worn by servicemen and women. The uniforms were auctioned off with the proceeds going to local veteran organizations through the Operation Fly Together Fund. A full line of Operation Fly Together merchandise is available in the team store, with a portion of each sale going to the Operations Fly Together Fund. Additionally, a Fairchild Family of the Game is recognized on the field at each Operation Fly Together game.

The Indians have also made a commitment to sustainability at Avista Stadium through their Zero Waste Campaign. In Year 2 of their goal to eventually become a Zero Waste facility, over 60 Zero Waste stations were installed throughout the stadium to help fans get their waste into the proper stream -- landfill, compost or recycling.

In 2021, 42 percent of waste from Avista Stadium went to the landfill (down from 80 percent in 2018), 12 percent of waste was recycled and 46 percent of waste went to a local compost facility (up from 1.5 percent in 2018). The compost waste is commercially composted and then bought back by the Indians for use in flower beds at Avista Stadium, creating a closed loop system. The Indians have also switched cups and cutlery to compostable material.

The team also remained active when the pandemic shut down their 2020 season, with the team’s staff assisting the Spokane Regional Health District as a COVID-19 Call Center, answering pandemic-related questions from Spokane residents as well as helping parents and students returning to school online.

“The Spokane Indians Baseball Club is overwhelmed with gratitude at being named the Organization of the Year by Minor League Baseball,” said Indians Vice President Otto Klein. “It’s a true testament to our outstanding front office and gameday teams, as well as our community partners and fans. There are 120 outstanding organizations, and to be selected alongside so many clubs that we respect and admire is an honor and we look forward to continuing to provide affordable family entertainment and positively impacting our community for years to come.”

About the Spokane Indians

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane, Washington. Avista Stadium is home to the $5 Kids Bench Seat courtesy of MultiCare. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Team Store fall hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, and Friday, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.