The Madison Square Garden Company Names Rich Claffey Senior Vice President and General Manager, Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSG) today announced that Rich Claffey has been named senior vice president and general manager of Madison Square Garden, which includes overseeing all facility operations for the famed arena, as well as The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Mr. Claffey, who was general manager of Radio City Music Hall until November 2015, returns to resume a career at the company that spans more than three decades.
In this role, Mr. Claffey will oversee the planning and direction of building operations, event production, event operations, food and merchandise operations, construction and ticketing operations. With the overarching goal of providing a superior customer experience, he will work closely with various teams across the company to execute and support strategic plans and programs that involve The Garden and The Theater. Mr. Claffey will report to Hank Abate, executive vice president of Venue Management.
“Rich has always been a part of the MSG family, and we are thrilled to welcome him back in this important role,” said Mr. Abate. “He knows our venues and our business well, and his expertise will be highly valuable as we remain focused on delivering a first-class experience to our customers and partners at The Garden and The Theater, while exploring new and innovative ways to build on the standard of excellence that these venues have set.”
Mr. Claffey said, “This is an incredible opportunity – rejoining the company, and in this role at the World’s Most Famous Arena – is significant to me both professionally and personally. Hank and the MSG leadership team have established clear goals to strengthen and enhance the live experience we provide to our customers and partners at our venues. I look forward to working with them to ensure Madison Square Garden delivers on this objective and continues to provide the unforgettable experiences that have made it so iconic for so many.”
Mr. Claffey most recently worked as a venue consultant to various clients, including MSG. In his previous role at MSG, Mr. Claffey served as senior vice president and general manager of Theatre Operations and Rockettes Operations, responsible for directing all facility operations for Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre and The Chicago Theatre, and managing day-to-day operations and administration for the Rockettes. Mr. Claffey began his career with MSG in 1983 as part of the stage crew at The Garden. Over the next 20 years he assumed positions of increasing responsibility at Radio City Music Hall, including head electrician of the stage crew; head carpenter; technical director of the Christmas Spectacular; vice president of production; and general manager. In addition to his experience at MSG, Mr. Claffey also spent one year as a member of the crew on a Bruce Springsteen world tour.
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment that presents or hosts a broad array of world-class events – including concerts, sporting events, family shows and special events – in an unparalleled mix of celebrated venues that span four of the nation’s largest entertainment markets. Those venues are: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. In addition, MSG has a diverse collection of properties that includes some of the most widely-recognized sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA), along with two development league teams — the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). The Company also features popular original entertainment productions — the Christmas Spectacular and New York Spectacular – both starring the Radio City Rockettes, and through Boston Calling Events, produces outdoor festivals, including New England’s premier Boston Calling Music Festival. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com