Brock Frost writes: If I received a nickel for every comment made about the “Colts advertising dilemma”, I would likely have enough money to pay for the entire upcoming season. The truth of the matter is however that the Colts are not responsible for the previous two seasons of failure. Rather, and quite bluntly, the Cornwall River Kings failed due to top-down mismanagement and lack of vision.
As I have responded on numerous occasions, any business, if run poorly, will fail. The River Kings are not unique to this equation. When I began looking into the acquisition of the River Kings several months ago, I saw enormous potential under the proper structure. My projections in fact predict a substantial profit at the end of the upcoming season. Now, do I wish I had legal rights to the rink board advertising? Absolutely, I do. Do I wish the City of Cornwall would follow the other municipalities in the league by giving financial support to their team? Of course I do. But am I dependent on this support to make the River Kings a success? The answer is simply no.
The advertising contract the Colts have with the City is a mere fraction of my potential revenue stream. Most people believe that without this revenue the River Kings cannot survive. That is purely not true. The River Kings have the support (the highest fan turnout in the league) of the people but like any business or organization, it requires strength and sound leadership from the top. I will be the first to admit that I am not a hockey player by any means – and although I enjoy the game from the comfort of the stands, I am a businessman and my approach to the River Kings is exactly that.
In a short time we have made tremendous progress ranging from a new corporate structure, a new team logo (to be trademarked), a new website, a new GM, a packed press conference, a successful draft in Sorel, Québec and the launch of the Cornwall River Kings Booster Club. This, of course, is in addition to almost $30,000 in ticket sales in the first week alone.
Furthermore, I am fully aware that there are people in the City that want to see me fail; both for business and political reasons. My response to them is that not only is it a mathematical certainty that the River Kings will be a success but this negativity only pushes me harder to succeed. So with that being said, I must thank these individuals for their (lack of) support.
Without any doubt, the River Kings are stronger than ever and my heart goes out to the thousands of fans who continue to support me in this venture. I am truly looking forward to the upcoming season.