PALM SPRINGS, CA (CelebrityAccess) — Oak View Group announced the expansion of their team at the under-development Coachella Valley Arena with the addition of Shannon Miller as vice president, branding and community relations; Phillip Ransford as vice president, operations; Rich Franklin as senior director, corporate partnerships; and Arturo Aviles as community engagement manager.
“We are proud to welcome so many new, talented professionals to our quickly growing team at the arena,” said John Bolton, senior vice president of entertainment – facilities (OVG) & general manager, Coachella Valley Arena. “As we continue to move closer to our grand opening in late 2022, each of their contributions will be instrumental to helping shape our success as well as building strong, meaningful, and authentic relationships with the community.”
Miller, who is perhaps best known as former head coach of the Olympic hockey team, joins OVG as vice president of branding and community relations for Coachella Valley Arena and the AHL hockey team The Seattle Kraken. In her new role, he will focus on growing the brand while providing professional representation for the building of the new arena, the hockey team, and business operations.
Phillip Ransford comes to OVG as vice president of operations for Coachella Valley Arena where he will lead the team that maintains the arena’s ice, as well as overseeing parking, event production, and readiness, maintenance, and functionality of the arena and grounds. He previously served as the interim director of building operations for the NHL’s St. Louis Blues for four years and was director of operations for the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, LA. He also spent more than a decade overseeing operations at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena and Cox Convention Center.
Rich Franklin will bring more than 2 decades of radio sales and management to his new role in overseeing corporate partnerships at Coachella Valley. Before joining OVG, Franklin worked for the past ten years as vice president of corporate partnerships for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League, including oversight of sales for team partnerships.
Arturo Aviles will manage community engagement for the Coachella Valley Arena, including during the building phase to ameliorate the impact of the construction work on nearby businesses and residents. A native of the region, Aviles previously served as treasurer for the City of Coachella.
The 11,000-capacity arena is currently on track to open in the last quarter of 2022.
