CEO Verge out at Santa Anita

After less than eight months on the job and less than a week after a successful Breeders’ Cup, Santa Anita Park‘s flamboyant CEO Mark Verge has left the building. Along with him went his chief creative officer Jimmy Dunne, as well as the track’s beverage consultant, Cedd Moses, media consultant Damien Lewis, food and beverage manager Richard Davis, and group events consultant Angie Davis, according to the Pasadena Star-News, which reported that all turned in their resignations this week.

Mark Verge

Verge, who carried business cards and used an e-mail address referring to himself as “The Guy,” stepped in to his role following the resignation of Greg Avioli, who resigned in March after only one year as president and CEO of the racing and gaming division of The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. One of Avioli’s hires was sales and marketing vp Chris Quinn, who replaced longtime marketing VP Allen Gutterman. But Quinn also quickly became a former employee this past summer as well.

No replacement has been named but George Haines remains as President. Haines, whose father was a lifetime employee at the track since shortly after it opened in 1934, and who has worked nearly his entire career at the track himself, has been one of the few constants among top management at the track in recent years.

Verge rankled many longtime employees with his scatter-shot and high-pressure management style. According to insiders, in addition to adopting seemingly every new idea that came along, especially those with a high-profile nature and anything that created a party atmosphere, he also added an ever-growing list of executives and managers to his staff and consultants who all made radical changes to the management and administration structure while demanding instant results and plenty of spotlight on The Guy.

But he was seemingly what owner Frank Stronach sought to make radical changes in marketing and event-izing Santa Anita to turn around the iconic track’s sagging fortunes amidst an overall decline in the popularity of horse racing. Stronach’s next move for Santa Anita is unknown.

Along with Haines, several other longtime key executives including Director of Community Service & Special Projects Pete Siberell, Director of Print & Graphics Candice Coder-Chew,  and marketing exec Nate Newby, have maintained a continuity during the management flux of the last couple of years and have been instrumental in introducing and marketing new elements to the track’s attractions, from many annual high school reunions, corporate picnics and weddings, to the new summer Cal Phil concerts, the recent 626 Night Market, and the second annual Circus Vargas, opening on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22.

— By Scott Hettrick