A part-time college job at Chicago’s Soldier Field has led Rebecca Spalding, a 2003 Lapeer East High School graduate, into a big league stadium management career.The daughter of Wanda and Rodger Spalding of Mayfield Township, Spalding went to the University of Illinois in Chicago after graduation. An English major with a Chemistry minor, Spalding was headed to a pre-med program when she started working part-time at Soldier Field in May 2006.
Her job then was in the suites department and involved stocking, cleaning and serving in two of the luxury boxes at the stadium during events and training new employees.
Ms. Spalding’s timing was pretty good as the Chicago Bears headed to two home playoff games and eventually went to the Super Bowl that year.
After her manager transferred to a different department, Ms. Spalding approached her general manager at Delaware North Companies Sportservice and was promoted to Suites coordinator at Soldier Field with the responsibility of overseeing the luxury boxes.
Sports and entertainment venues subcontract with Delaware North Companies Sportservice for their concessions, fine dining, Suite and retail operations. The company handles concession and food service for the Chicago White Sox, Comerica Park, the Milwaukee Brewers, Soldier Field, the Buffalo Bills and a number of national parks, among others.
As the Suites coordinator, Ms. Spalding was responsible for satisfying the special requests of 133 suite holders and gathering their game day food, beverage and retail orders. Some of those requests involve avoiding peanuts or other foods that suite holders have allergies to or accommodating high profile executives and celebrities.
Her performance at Soldier Field led to a promotion as Suites assistant manager and last July, she was promoted to Suites Manager at the New Target Field in Minneapolis, the new home of the Minnesota Twins.
“The strong relationships I made at Soldier Field definitely led me to where I am today,” said Ms. Spalding.
At the age of 24, Spalding is now the youngest Suites manager in the company and is responsible for creating the experience that the new Suite holders will have at the new field, which is currently under construction. The stadium officially opens for business with the 2010 Minnesota Twins baseball season.
“This is a great opportunity to work hard and excel. I’m really excited,” said Ms. Spalding. “I’m part of a fantastic organization, and I am able to build the entire Suites department by implementing ideas that I had while with the Bears.”
Creating the experience means she is responsible for hiring the 75-person staff, creating the menu, designing and buying uniforms, serving utensils, platters and more.
Ms. Spalding started her education in Lapeer at Lynch Elementary School in the second grade. She attended Zemmer Junior High School and then East.
Her love of sports comes naturally. At East she participated in tennis, competitive cheerleading, softball and track.
At East, she was a High Honors student and participated in the National Honor Society. She said her Advanced Placement courses and teachers at East well prepared her for her college courses.
East Assistant principal Joe Shoopman, who was one of Ms. Spalding’s English teachers when she was at East, Spanish teacher Duane Machesney and West principal Tim Zeeman, who also taught English at East, and Mrs. Sharon Namenye, who taught math, were among her favorite instructors.
In college, she saved her Spanish notes from Mr. Machesney and used them instead of the college materials she received to complete her Spanish courses at the University of Illinois.
“Mr. Machesney was a fantastic teacher,” Ms. Spalding said. “The teachers absolutely make a huge difference. The AP courses get you in the mindset for college.”
Her teachers remember her as well.
“Rebecca was always kind to her classmates and made East a better place with her smile and friendly nature,” said Mr. Shoopman. “Combine that with the fact that she worked incredibly hard, and the pieces were all in place. I know everyone at East is proud of her accomplishments, but I don’t think they come as a surprise. With some young people, you just know they have the right qualities to take them as far as they aspire. She’s definitely in that group.”
Although she loved Lapeer, she is a “City girl at heart,” she said.
Ms. Spalding has a sister, Melissa, who graduated from Lapeer East in 2002.
