Starting his career close to home

Brett Kirmse doesn’t get to know the Lakeshore Chinooks players well, but he knows one of their traits.

As an intern two years ago, Kirmse did grunt work such as laundry after games.

“Some guys sweat a lot worse than others,” he said.

The Saukville resident and 2014 Port Washington High School graduate also wasn’t aware that the Chinooks could be the start to his career.

A little college counseling went a long way for Kirmse, who graduated last year from Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon with a degree in sports management.

“I never thought about it,” Kirmse said, adding his college counselor guided him in the right direction.

In January, Kirmse was hired by the Chinooks as an account executive. He  was relieved that he could leave his repetitive motion job in a factory and work at the Chinooks home office in Grafton.

He remembers being nervous at the job interview, but he also knew everyone in the office, which helped.

“Most of our front office is comprised of interns,” Kirmse said.

The job offer came via email.

“It was awesome,” Kirmse said.

Kirmse’s job is more on the sales side than community relations. He said he has gained confidence since his first sales call last winter.

“You view all calls as an opportunity,” he said. “There’s an art to it. Selling isn’t for everybody.”

Beyond normal business hours, office employees attend each home game, making for up to 14-hour days.

“We’ve got 36,” Kirmse said. “That’s just the summer grind.”

On weekend games, the office staff arrives in the morning and heads to the game at night. Road trips allow for a little break.

“Even when you’re off you find yourself checking email more than you want,” Kirmse said.

Kirmse handles the ticket booth at games and has donned the costume of Gill, the mascot, a few times for school reading programs.

“I love working with kids. I think it’s the coolest thing in the world to put a smile on their face. No matter what you do, if you put a smile on someone’s face, you’ve made an impact,” he said.

Inside the Gill costume, however, it is hot, he said, and difficult to see.

Kirmse said outreach remains a goal for the organization, which just finished its eighth season.

“Some families don’t know we’re here yet,” he said. “We’re still growing.”

 Kirmse attended a Chinooks game during the team’s first season. His mother still has his ticket stub.

Since then, he said, “ticket prices haven’t changed much.”
Games, he said, are a family atmosphere. Contests such as minion races, in which people put on fish heads and race around the infield, are held between innings and Gill does T-shirt tosses.

“The kids are all smiling, having fun,” Kirmse said. “There’s no difference to the kids who the players are. It doesn’t matter what number they’re wearing.”

The job has its own unique challenges, usually with unexpected circumstances.

Before the Chinooks distribute bobbleheads, the staff will go through several to make sure they’re OK. This season, several of the highly sought-after Bat Man and Robin bobblehead featuring Paul Molitor and Robin Yount were cracked. Staff members didn’t find any in their random checks, but some of the damaged ones were handed out.

Taking phone calls from angry customers is when the job gets real, Kirmse said.

The club ended up doing an exchange for new bobbleheads.

“Do you enjoy the chaos?” he said. “At the end of the day I do.”

Once the season ends, Kirmse said many people have a misconception that the office doesn’t have work to do. While employees can work normal office hours since they don’t attend games,

that is when ticket packages, promotions and menu items are determined. Events and community outreach continues, he said.

For Kirmse, the winter gets busier. He’s an assistant coach for Random Lake High School’s basketball team.

“When I’m done here I drive straight to practice,” he said. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”