We were lucky to catch up with PAUL SOLTYSIAK recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi PAUL, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

There is a vintage ballpark in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Sullivan Field. It was built in the 1930s, and operated as Valley Field until 1996, when it was renamed in honor of local philanthropist, businessman and baseball manager – Bob Sullivan. I was serving on a committee for the local parks, and learned that I could reserve the park.

I scheduled an event at the ballpark called “Play Catch at Sullivan Field”. It was there that I met our other co-founder, Andy DeVries. Andy is about 10 years older than me, so we did not cross paths until this time, but we both shared very similar experiences in growing up at the ballpark. (Called Valley Field, at the time of our youth.) As we played catch, we told stories and agreed to meet for lunch at a local watering hole on the WestSide of Grand Rapids. When we met, we decided to create a facebook group page called “Fans of Valley Field”, where we could post photos and gather stories from others. This group quickly grew, and many were happy to share memories, photos and stories of their own. We then formed a 501c3, and now have over 4000 members in our group. We’ve been hosting events at the park, and are currently working with the City of Grand Rapids on upcoming renovations.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I never thought I’d be a co-founder of a non-profit organization! It’s truly been a labor of love. I’ve made some great new friendships over the course of the time we’ve been doing this – and I enjoy seeing others get connected to new friends. It’s like a big, extended family – with all of us working on a common goal. The world of volunteering is always an interesting and challenging one – but it’s been super-rewarding, too! It’s so cool to see people’s fondness for the ballpark, and to see others getting exposed to it for the first time. It’s a unique, historical place that deserves the love! I’m proud of our team for rallying together in a relatively short period of time, and making some significant progress with activation and renovation.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

When we first started working on the ballpark, we asked the city if it would be ok to sell banner ads for the outfield fence. They approved, so we created a banner and hung it up. We took photos, and posted the opportunity on facebook. We didn’t actually approach/ask anyone… and we quickly sold out! People/businesses were sad that they couldn’t get a spot!

How did you build your audience on social media?

We use Instagram, Twitter and mostly Facebook for keeping in touch and telling our story. (We dabbled in Tik Tok, but have since pulled back from that.) We encourage our Facebook group members (over 4000 now) to invite their friends. We try to post interesting things often – a mix of old photos, history – and new items, too – such as highlights of our live music events and other happenings. We also encourage people to take photos as they travel and sport our branded apparel.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fansofvalleyfield.org
• Instagram: fansofvalleyfield
• Facebook: Fans of Valley Field
• Twitter: @ValleyFieldGR
• Other: Vimeo: Fans of Valley Field

Image Credits
Paul Soltysiak