Ken Silver - Owner
Ken is entering his eighth year as owner of the Gastonia Grizzlies after he purchased the team in 2002. This past season the Grizzlies broke the franchise attendance record with 39,296 fans.  He is also the owner of the Forest City Owls who are the 2009 Coastal Plain League Pettit Cup Champions.  Previously, Ken served as a member of the Board of Directors for the South Atlantic League from 1991-2005 and was elected Second Vice President of the league in 2002. Ken was an owner of the Erie Sea Wolves from 1993-1999.  Ken sold the club in 1999 after the Sea Wolves were granted AA status. Ken was previously an owner of the Savannah Sand Gnats and Modesto A’s. He also served on the Board of Directors for the California League in 1992 and 1993. Ken is married to Bette and they have three children, Mike, Kevin and Debbie and seven grandchildren.
   
   
Jesse Cole - General Manager
Jesse is entering his third season as General Manager of the Grizzlies.  In his first two seasons the Grizzlies broke the Franchise Attendance record with 29,310 fans in 2008 and 39,296 in 2009.  The Grizzlies also had the highest average attendance in 2009 with 1,637 fans per game and broke the single game record on August 4, 2009 with 3,788 fans.  In his two years Cole has implemented unique features such as the Grizzlies Donut Burger and Donut Dog, The Grandma Beauty Pageant, dancing players and Dunk the GM inning in the Dunk Tank.  Cole spent 2007 as a sales associate for the Spartanburg Stingers before traveling to Cape Cod to become an Assistant Coach for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League. Cole graduated from Wofford College where he was a four-year starter. Cole finished among career leaders in starts and innings pitched and also set the record for longest outing, going 9 2/3 innings as a junior. A two-way player Cole was named Southern Conference Player of the Month as a freshman. He was also named to the Southern Conference All-Academic team three times and received the Southern Conference Commissioners Medal in 2006. Cole grew up playing at the South Shore Baseball Club in Hingham, MA where his father is a part owner.
   
   
Jamie Curtis - Assistant General Manager
Jamie is entering her third season as Assistant General Manager of the Grizzlies.  During her second season, the Grizzlies shattered the all-time attendance record with 39,296 fans, breaking the 2008 record of 29,310 fans.  The Grizzlies also had the highest average attendance in 2009 with 1,637 fans per game and broke the single game record on August 4th with 3,788 fans.  In 2009, Curtis also served as Director of Community Relations overseeing the second annual Gastonia Grizzlies Reading Program, School Tools, Gaston County Animal Adoption and Operation Medicine Cabinet.  No stranger to baseball, Curtis began her career path in baseball in 2001, where she spent the next two seasons working with the South Atlantic League's Kannapolis Intimidators.  From there she moved on to serve as a Ticket Office and On-Field Promotions Assistant for the Durham Bulls of the International League in 2005.  In 2006, Curtis served as the Marketing and Promotions Intern for the Grizzlies, helping to oversee multiple areas of baseball operations.  In 2007, Curtis served as the Administration Intern in the Coastal Plain League office.  A 2007 graduate of North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism and a concentration in Sports Management, Curtis currently resides in Charlotte, N.C.
   
   

Lauren Lee- Marketing Director

Lauren is entering her second season as Marketing Director of the Grizzlies.  In her first season, the Grizzlies shattered their attendance record with 39,296 fans, breaking the 2008 record of 29, 310 fans.  The Grizzlies also had the highest average attendance with 1,637 fans per game and broke the single-game attendance record with 3,788 fans on August 4th.  In 2008, Lee served as the Marketing and Promotions intern after serving as a Marketing Assistant at Carowinds theme park.  A 2007 graduate of Winthrop University with a B.S. in Integrated Marketing Communication, Lee currently resides in Clover, S.C.

   
   

Jason Plourde - Head Coach

Plourde was recently named the new pitching coach at Belmont Abbey after serving as the Assistant Coach at Fort Hays State from 2006-2009.

In 2009, Plourde served as the Associate Head Coach for the Fayetteville SwampDogs, leading the SwampDogs to the second round of the playoffs with a 30-23 record.  Plourde also served as Associate Head Coach for Fayetteville from 2005-2007, compiling a 114-47 record.

In 2008, Plourde was the Head Coach of the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League and had six players selected to the All-Star Game. 

Prior to his time in Fayetteville, Plourde spent the summers of 2003 and 2004 as the pitching coach for the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League, where the Mallards won the Northwoods League Championship in 2004.

As a player, Plourde played baseball at LA Valley College in 1998 and 1999 where he received Academic All-Western State Conference honors.   He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology-Secondary Physical Education from Cal State-Northridge in 2002. In 2004, Plourde earned his master's degree in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University.
   
   

Brian Rushing - 'The Voice of the Grizzlies'

Brian Rushing is back for his second year of exciting Grizzlies action.  The Gastonia native grew up at Sims Park watching the heroes of the past three decades.  Watching former major leaguers such as Leon Durham, Mark Salas, Sammy Sosa and Benji Gil in the low minors developed an affinity for the grand old game he has failed to shake.
That affinity led him to run clubhouses in the minor leagues for the White Sox and Red Sox organizations.  
 
But his latest career incarnation has been a fast moving sort, as he handles the microphone duties for Belmont Abbey College, University of SC-Upstate, Charlotte Eagles Pro Soccer, North Gaston High School, Gaston Day Basketball as well as the Forestview Jags and Belmont Middle Wildcats.  That impressive resume' alongside his work with the Grizzlies makes him "Gaston's Sports Voice".  The former host of WSGE's RushHour radio show is also founder and president of VoiceCarolinas.com.
 
Rushing resides in Gastonia with his lovely wife Jeanene, and three daughters: Bethany, Mary Beth, and Rebekah. 
   
   

Derek Smith, Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting

Derek is in his second year with the Gastonia Grizzlies as Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting.  Smith will handle duties in sports information and broadcast home games from Sims Legion Park on the Coastal Plain League website. Smith has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Speech Communication from the University of Georgia and graduated from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Smith, a Charlotte native, has worked for a number of newspapers and radio stations in the area, and as an audio engineer, network operator, voice talent and public address announcer. Smith was also a play-by-play announcer and color commentator for the Georgia Southern University Sports Radio network’s coverage of football, basketball and baseball.