Menominee Nation Arena employees distance themselves from owner, continue mission despite bankruptcy – The Oshkosh Northwestern

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OSHKOSH - Even as its parent company struggles through a messyChapter 11 restructuring, managers of the Menominee Nation Arena are pressing on with the venue's goal ofcarving a unique niche in the region's crowded entertainment space.

That includesarena staff distancing itself from its ownership group, most notably Greg Pierce, president of Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc.

Its marketing manager recently took to social media to thank the community for its support,remind patrons the arena is open for business and noted the facility is under a new management structure.

Jason Fields, the arena's general manager, said Pierceno longer oversees any operations. Fields sees the bankruptcy as a way to restructure the company by instilling new budgetary practices and properly managing finances.

"To be real honest about it, it hasn't really hindered me too much," Fieldssaid. "It's a little bit of a clean slate."

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Pierce hired two prominent community insiders to run the venue, starting with the former longtime head of the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wendy Hielsberg, and later turning to a sitting member of the Oshkosh Common Council, Deb Allison-Aasby.

After Allison-Aasby departed,Pierce hired Fields and began handing off operations to him in May, Fields said. At the same time, thecompany's finances began to unravel, culminating with lawsuits by Bayland Buildings Inc. and other contractors and an eventual bankruptcy filing last month.

Jason Fields(Photo: Courtesy of Menominee Nation Arena)

"From my end, I had to sort of demand silence because we can't answer questions (about decisions) that we had nothing to with," Fields said of the arena's 150 employees. "There are not a lot of people that were in here in managerial positions that were involved with any of the (previous) GMs anymore."

Fields said it's not uncommon for large venues to undergo restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, pointing to Red Lion HotelPaper Valley in Appleton, whose parent company also filed for Chapter 11 in late July.

Fox Valley Pro Basketball, which owns and operates the arenais the subject of several lawsuits from investors and other creditors, who say the company owes millions of dollars for construction, public relations and marketing work and legal services.

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Late last month, afederal judgeallowed Pierce to loan the arena up to $200,000 for ongoing operations. The money came fromWindward Wealth Strategies Inc., a company Pierce also heads.

In a statement issued Sept 6, a group of unnamed arena employees, referring to themselves as "the internal team" separate from "the ownership," pleaded with the community to continue supporting the sports and entertainment venue.

"We understand that recent changes have caused quite a discussion in the community and we want to connect with you and be a part of the conversation," the statement reads in part. "We have a strong internal team that operates the arena on a daily basis. This team is made up of local community members, just like you, working hard behind the scenes to create a legendary space for live engagements here in Oshkosh."

Opening as the 10th largest indoor concert venue in the state in December 2017, organizers then said the plan was to bring in about six regional and national performers each year.

The first year then featured two big-name comedians in Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, more than a half-dozen concerts including Gladys Knight and Peter Cetera, and a sprinkling of sports entertainment events. The 2019 calendar was shaping up in a similar fashion until the recent cancellation or postponement of visits from Tesla, Buckcherry, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Rodney Atkins.

There are few events listed on the arena's schedule this fall. However,it is also home to the Wisconsin Herd, the NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. The team's new season starts Nov. 8, including 24 home games in Oshkosh.

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The arena jumped into a crowded entertainment scene along the Interstate 41 corridor from Green Bay to Fond du Lac. Venues from the Resch Center and Weidner Center in the Green Bay market to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton are among those regularly bringing in national attractions.

Lambeau Field can now be counted on for a huge show almost every summer about 50,000 saw Paul McCartney this year and Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute has welcomed about 8,000 people for summer concerts in recent years.

Terry Charles, senior corporate communications manager for PMI Entertainment Group (which manages the Resch Center and Meyer Theatre), said the entertainment business is tough and it takes years to learn what does and doesnt work in a market. And even then sometimes there are surprise hits or flops.

"There's definitely more competition, I would say, today for the entertainment dollar than there was when I started 20 years ago," Charles said.

Smaller spaces like The Grand Oshkosh, Green Bay Distillery and the Meyer Theatre also compete for those same dollars and, to an extent, bookings. Many communities also have free weekly concerts outside during the summer. And on a grander scale, Oshkosh welcomes tens of thousands of people to Ford Festival Park for Country USA and Rock USA every year.

Mike Dempsey(Photo: Contributed)

As far as the arenas most direct competition, the Oshkosh summer staple Waterfest at the Leach Amphitheater might be it. The two venues are within walking distance of each other. Both bring in known hitmakers from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Both can host crowds in the 4,000 range.

Still, only a few arena bookings 38 Special, Starship, Foghat and Tesla fit the Waterfest mold. Mike Dempsey, who has steered the series for more than 30 years, said the arena's arrival has only had a minimal impact.

"Nothing really negative," Dempsey said. "We think it's good. They're marketing the community in a different way. To a certain extent we compete for the same acts that are out there at a certain time and place, but other than that, if they're marketing Oshkosh, great."

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Menominee Nation Arena employees distance themselves from owner, continue mission despite bankruptcy - The Oshkosh Northwestern