Jeff Eisenberg joined the Manchester Monarchs as President in September of 2000. He was the first employee of the team, launching the organization from the ground up and quickly establishing the franchise as an integral part of Manchester and the state of New Hampshire.
Eisenberg, 53, oversees all aspects of business operations for the Monarchs, including marketing, public relations, ticket sales, sponsorships, promotions, advertising, arena relations, broadcast and merchandise. His commitment to offering exciting ice hockey action and exceptional family entertainment has helped make the Monarchs a success both on and off the ice. The Monarchs annually post impressive attendance figures, averaging over 8,000 fans per game during the course of their first eight seasons of play. In 2003-04 and 2005-06, the Monarchs not only led the AHL in attendance, but also topped all of the more than 90 other North American minor pro hockey teams in existence.
Under Eisenberg's direction and leadership, the Monarchs have emerged as one of the premier franchises in all of minor league sports. The Monarchs won the 2005 PRISM Award which is awarded to the minor league franchise deemed to be the most outstanding in the country, captured the 2005 Business NH Magazine Business of Year in the Tourism category and been voted “Best of NH Sports Team” by the readers of New Hampshire Magazine for seven consecutive years. In July of 2004, Eisenberg won the James C. Hendy Award, presented annually to the AHL’s Executive of the Year.
Eisenberg and the Monarchs staged the highly successful 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in Manchester on February 13-14, 2005. The two-day event featured the best young talent in the AHL and showed the world that Manchester is truly a great hockey town.
Eisenberg began his career in the professional sports industry in 1980 as the Assistant General Manager of the Holyoke Millers Baseball Club of the Eastern League. He joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981, working in the areas of sales, ticketing, marketing and information systems during his lengthy tenure there. While in Philadelphia, he led the development and implementation of the Phillies' state-of-the-art sales and ticketing systems. His operation, including the large-scale phone reservation center he established, also provided services for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers and Temple University.
In 1991, Eisenberg joined the Milwaukee Brewers as Vice President of Ticket Sales. Under his direction, the team set new franchise records for season ticket sales in both 1993 and 1994. While in Milwaukee, Eisenberg introduced many advancements and innovations, including the club's successful introduction of club seating, expanded ticket sales operations, and many new grass roots marketing and customer service initiatives. He also worked on groundwork efforts to launch the construction of Milwaukee's new baseball stadium, Miller Park.
In 1995, Eisenberg moved to Buffalo, New York, where he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Buffalo Sabres and President of the Buffalo Blizzard soccer team. While in Buffalo, he played a lead role in the successful opening of the Marine Midland Arena, a new 18,500 seat downtown facility. Immediately prior to joining the Monarchs, he served two successful years in Portland, Maine, as President of the Portland Pirates.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Eisenberg holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University, and a Master's degree in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts. His research paper, "The Factors Affecting Minor League Baseball Attendance," was published in Business and the Atlantic Economic Journal. He also co-authored “Still on Their Honeymoon: A Five Year Case Study of an American Hockey League Team and The Reasons for Their Continued Success.”, which was published in the The International Journal for Sport Marketing and Sponsorship.
In addition to his leadership role in the Monarchs Care Foundation, Eisenberg remains active in community service as board chair at Catholic Medical Center and as a board member of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
Jeff and his wife Carole have three children, Matt (16), Kara (14) and Alex (12). They reside in Bedford, New Hampshire.
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