Storm Chasers Announce Front Office Promotion, Additions

PAPILLION, Neb. — The Omaha Storm Chasers front office is excited to announce a promotion and numerous additions to its staff prior to the upcoming Triple-A East season.

Andrea Bedore has been promoted to Assistant General Manager of Sales after previously serving as Assistant General Manager of Events and Sales. She was Assistant General Manager of Operations for six seasons prior and has been with the franchise since 2005, joining the full-time staff in 2006.

Justin Rolfes is the new Director of Marketing and Communications for the Chasers. The Brewster, N.Y., native has spent his career in marketing and has lived in Omaha since graduating from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he played football for the Lopers, in 2008.

Jake Eisenberg, hired as the team’s radio broadcaster in 2019 ahead of the 2020 season, joins the full-time staff as he adds social media, digital content creation and marketing to his play-by-play duties. The 2017 Maryland graduate and Port Washington, N.Y, native previously shared broadcast duties for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (2019), Winston-Salem Dash (2018) and Brooklyn Cyclones (2017).

Omaha native Aniya Tate joins her hometown team after previously working for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Lincoln Saltdogs. The University of Nebraska graduate, who majored in business administration, is the organization’s new Human Resources Manager and Sales Assistant.

Blake Paris joins the Chasers as a Corporate Sales Executive after working as an Account Executive for the Reno Aces. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Midland University in 2017 and a master’s in sports management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2019.

Zach Ricketts joins the Storm Chasers as Head Groundskeeper after spending six seasons with the Oakland Athletics – three at the training complex in Arizona and three at the Oakland Coliseum. The Galesburg, Ill., native played two sports at Knox College and interned with the Burlington Bees, Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers before later working for the Beloit Snappers.

Leighann Westfall is the Community Relations and Special Events Coordinator for the Chasers. The Houston native and Northwestern State graduate previously managed collegiate events for SMU and LSU while working on the events team for the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Dru Sauer, a University of Nebraska at Kearney graduate, joins the staff as a Group Sales Executive. The Ogallala, Neb., native has interned with the Cincinnati Reds and Bismarck Larks.

Tyler St. Denny will also be a Group Sales Executive for the Chasers after spending three years as the Assistant General Manager of the St. Joseph Mustangs. The Savannah, Mo., native holds a sports management degree from Missouri Western State University.

Mike Burnett joins the Chasers staff as the Facilities Maintenance Assistant. The Norwood, Colo., native previously spent 18½ years as the Facility Engineer for First National Bank Omaha.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at Werner Park in Papillion, Neb. The Storm Chasers are scheduled to begin the 2021 season on May 4th against the St. Paul Saints and single-game tickets are on sale now. For more information, please visit omahastormchasers.com, call the Werner Park Ticket Office at (402) 738-5100 and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.