BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ChamberMaster//Event Calendar 2.0//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P1H REFRESH-INTERVAL:P1H CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:Eastern Daylight Time END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:Eastern Standard Time END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230719T070000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230719T093000 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-ALLDAYEVENT:FALSE SUMMARY:AultCare Quick Connect July Breakfast DESCRIPTION:Join us for the AultCare QuickConnect Breakfast on July 19. We're excited to have Ken Babby\, the Founder of Fast Forward Sports Group and Owner/CEO of the Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp\, as our special guest. \n\nKen will be sharing his incredible experiences\, and his topic will revolve around RubberDucks Baseball the perfect formula for affordable family fun! BIO:Ken BabbyFounder\, Fast Forward Sports GroupOwner and CEO\, Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp\nKen Babby\, a native of Potomac\, Maryland\, is the founder of Fast Forward Sports Group\, owning the Akron RubberDucks (AA) and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (AAA) minor league baseball teams.\n\nBefore founding Fast Forward Sports Group\, Babby spent 13 years on the business side of The Washington Post\, starting as a summer intern\, rising to the role of Chief Revenue Officer of Washington Post Media and General Manager of Washington Post Digital. Ken oversaw the company's $500M in annual advertising revenue and led the Post into the digital era overseeing all aspects of the company's digital\, mobile and video strategy and operations. The entrepreneurial growth of Post's digital business and national growth caught the attention of Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos\, who acquired the media company in 2012.\n\nBabby purchased the Akron Aeros\, Eastern League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians\, in October 2012\, and rebranded the team as the Akron RubberDucks after the 2013 season. Babby has privately invested more than $8 million in Canal Park\, which has welcomed more than 340\,000 fans each of the past four seasons. In 2015\, Akron earned the Larry MacPhail Award for the most outstanding and creative marketing and promotional efforts in Minor League Baseball. In 2016\, Akron hosted the franchise's first- ever Eastern League All-Star Game and was the Eastern League nominee for the John H. Johnson President's Award\, Minor League Baseball's top award for an organization. Since Babby's acquisition\, the franchise has grown average attendance by 38%. In 2019\, as recognition of the club's successes in the community the Sports Business Journal named Akron a Top 10 minor league sports city in the US.\n\nIn September 2015\, Babby purchased the Jacksonville Suns\, Southern League affiliate of the Miami Marlins. He invested more than $3 million into fan areas at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville before rebranding the team as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp after the 2016 season. In the inaugural season as the Jumbo Shrimp\, attendance increased by more than 61\,000 the most of any Double-A ballpark and a ballpark-record 23 percent to more than 325\,000 for the first time in seven years. The Jumbo Shrimp won the Southern League's Organization of the Year. In 2021\, the Miami Marlins selected Jacksonville as their new AAA affiliate a testament to continued benefits of community and facility investment.\n\nKen was named to Sports Business Journal's coveted "Forty Under 40\, list in 2016. For the growth of the Akron franchise\, he was a winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award in the Northeast Ohio region. Ken credits the success of team every step of the way. Akron General Manager and Fast Forward Sports Group President Jim Pfander was the 2016 Eastern League Executive of the Year\, and Jacksonville General Manager Harold Craw was the 2017 Southern League Executive of the Year\, becoming the first African-American to win Executive of the Year for any league in Minor League Baseball.\nBabby's two-fold mission is to create a memorable\, unique\, affordable and enjoyable fan experience\, and maximize the opportunity to create change in the community through charitable\, wellness and education initiatives. He serves on numerous boards in Northeast Ohio and Northeast Florida including Baptist Hospitals of Florida and Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce\, and trustee at Wheaton College and Jacksonville University. Ken is a graduate of Wheaton College (MA) with an MBA from Johns HopkinsUniversity. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:


Join us for the AultCare QuickConnect Breakfast on July 19. We'\;re excited to have \;Ken Babby\, the Founder of Fast Forward Sports Group \;and \;Owner/CEO of the Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp\, as our special guest. \;

Ken will be sharing his incredible experiences\, and his topic will revolve around \;RubberDucks Baseball &ndash\; the perfect formula for affordable family fun! \;

BIO:

Ken Babby

Founder\, Fast Forward Sports Group

Owner and CEO\, Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp


Ken Babby\, a native of Potomac\, Maryland\, is the founder of Fast Forward Sports Group\, owning the Akron RubberDucks (AA) and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (AAA) minor league baseball teams.

Before founding Fast Forward Sports Group\, Babby spent 13 years on the business side of The Washington Post\, starting as a summer intern\, rising to the role of Chief Revenue Officer of Washington Post Media and General Manager of Washington Post Digital. Ken oversaw the company&rsquo\;s $500M in annual advertising revenue and led the Post into the digital era overseeing all aspects of the company&rsquo\;s digital\, mobile and video strategy and operations. The entrepreneurial growth of Post&rsquo\;s digital business and national growth caught the attention of Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos\, who acquired the media company in 2012.

Babby purchased the Akron Aeros\, Eastern League affiliate of the Cleveland Indians\, in October 2012\, and rebranded the team as the Akron RubberDucks after the 2013 season. Babby has privately invested more than $8 million in Canal Park\, which has welcomed more than 340\,000 fans each of the past four seasons. In 2015\, Akron earned the Larry MacPhail Award for the most outstanding and creative marketing and promotional efforts in Minor League Baseball. In 2016\, Akron hosted the franchise&rsquo\;s first- ever Eastern League All-Star Game and was the Eastern League nominee for the John H. Johnson President&rsquo\;s Award\, Minor League Baseball&rsquo\;s top award for an organization. Since Babby'\;s acquisition\, the franchise has grown average attendance by 38%. In 2019\, as recognition of the club&rsquo\;s successes in the community the Sports Business Journal named Akron a Top 10 minor league sports city in the US.

In September 2015\, Babby purchased the Jacksonville Suns\, Southern League affiliate of the Miami Marlins. He invested more than $3 million into fan areas at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville before rebranding the team as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp after the 2016 season. In the inaugural season as the Jumbo Shrimp\, attendance increased by more than 61\,000 &ndash\; the most of any Double-A ballpark and a ballpark-record 23 percent &ndash\; to more than 325\,000 for the first time in seven years. The Jumbo Shrimp won the Southern League&rsquo\;s Organization of the Year. In 2021\, the Miami Marlins selected Jacksonville as their new AAA affiliate a testament to continued benefits of community and facility investment.

Ken was named to Sports Business Journal&rsquo\;s coveted &ldquo\;Forty Under 40\, list in 2016. For the growth of the Akron franchise\, he was a winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year®\; 2017 Award in the Northeast Ohio region. Ken credits the success of team every step of the way. Akron General Manager and Fast Forward Sports Group President Jim Pfander was the 2016 Eastern League Executive of the Year\, and Jacksonville General Manager Harold Craw was the 2017 Southern League Executive of the Year\, becoming the first African-American to win Executive of the Year for any league in Minor League Baseball.


Babby&rsquo\;s two-fold mission is to create a memorable\, unique\, affordable and enjoyable fan experience\, and maximize the opportunity to create change in the community through charitable\, wellness and education initiatives. He serves on numerous boards in Northeast Ohio and Northeast Florida including Baptist Hospitals of Florida and Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce\, and trustee at Wheaton College and Jacksonville University. Ken is a graduate of Wheaton College (MA) with an MBA from Johns Hopkins

University.

LOCATION:7883 Freedom Ave NW North Canton OH 44720 UID:e.3115.826098 SEQUENCE:3 DTSTAMP:20260404T132110Z URL:https://business.cantonchamber.org/event-calendar/Details/aultcare-quick-connect-july-breakfast-913929?sourceTypeId=Hub END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR