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PACKERS HOLD ANNUAL SHAREHOLDERS MEETING
posted 07/11/01
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| Packers President Bob Harlan fields questions at the shareholders meeting |
The main focus of Wednesday's annual Green Bay Packers shareholders meeting at the Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena involved the future. Discussion over the course of the two-hour presentation ranged from this season's team to construction progress with the Lambeau Field redevelopment.
A total of 2,147 people showed up for this annual meeting, marking a larger crowd than at last year's event. Each stockholder was allowed to bring one guest to the meeting. Attendance was third highest in team history.
General Manager/Head Coach Mike Sherman was the first speaker to address the audience. He ran through the 2001 Packers position by position. Breaking down the offense, defense and then special teams, Sherman detailed the depth chart of each position.
Following the breakdown, Sherman presented a separate analysis of each new draft pick for the Packers. Regarding the Packers' first-round draft pick, Jamal Reynolds, Sherman said, "We are really excited about him...he has extreme quickness and pass-rush ability and maneuverability, and I think that he will definitely help us become a better defense because of his speed. We will use him immediately as a pass rusher and work him into the rotation at some point."
Following Reynolds, the head coach broke down the strengths of the team's five other drafts picks and how they can be expected to contribute to the Packers in the upcoming season.
Sherman then presented the team goals for the 2001 season. Fans cheered when the words 'Super Bowl' were flashed onto the big screen at the end of this segment, then Sherman detailed how the team and organization were going to go about achieving their goals.
He concluded his speech by offering his thoughts on the outlook of this organization by saying, "Our football team aims to bring a championship at some point back here. I can't tell you when it's going to be, but that is our goal, that is our mission every single time we line up."
Next, Green Bay treasurer John Underwood outlined the team's financial status. He noted that of the 31 NFL teams, the Packers ranked 9th in total revenue in 1997, but had fallen to 18th in 2000. On the brighter side, Underwood pointed out the new stadium will boost the team's revenue status back into the top half the league by 2003.
Senior Vice President of Administration John Jones closed the presentation by updating the shareholders on the construction progress at Lambeau Field. He acknowledged that parking will be a problem during the next two seasons, but city and team officials are to announce plans for the 2001 season on Thursday. The best advice to fans, echoed in a later press conference, was to allow for more time to get to and from the stadium this year.
"We're all going to have to learn a little different way to get here because we're coming to play football on a construction site," said Jones. "We're going to do an extensive public information campaign to help you help us get through this very, very exciting time, but also a time of change."
The main theme Jones reiterated to the crowd was that they would still be able to see their favorite team play at home, in Lambeau Field, even during the construction process. He said this was a key issue for fans during the Lambeau Field redevelopment effort. The Chicago Bears will be forced to play their home games away from Soldier Field for one season while the stadium is being refurbished. Jones noted the ability to improve the stadium while keeping home games in Green Bay will be a major bonus for the football team.
"When you're going to win the Super Bowl and play competitively, you have to have the home-field advantage, and nobody has it better than we do at Lambeau Field," Jones said.
Jones also detailed the local emphasis of the construction effort. The cranes towering over the outside of the stadium are from nearby Manitowoc. He said the club is excited to have so many companies with ties to Brown County and Wisconsin involved with the project.
"In fact, over seventy percent of the fifty million dollars of contracts so far let have gone to Brown County and Wisconsin companies. We're very proud of that," he said.
Currently there are close to 250 workers on the job, and that number will reach approximately 800 workers at the height of construction in the spring of next year.
Jones finished his speech by presenting various renderings of the final construction and outlining the phases in which this work will be completed. Phase One is currently underway, while Phase Two starts in 2002 after the end of this season and Phase Three will be finished up by opening day in 2003. He said, "We are on schedule and on budget, and we plan to keep it that way."
At the end of the session the team's president and chief executive officer, Bob Harlan, opened the floor to questions from the audience. Queries from a rise in ticket prices to handicapped parking in the new stadium were asked from the crowd. Harlan addressed each question individually and Sherman added input when asked specifically about the team.
When asked about the naming rights to the new stadium Harlan responded, "I hope this place is always called Lambeau Field."
This was the second year in a row the meeting has been hosted in the arena, which sits across the street from Lambeau Field. In 1998, over 18,000 shareholders and guests attended the first shareholders meeting at Lambeau Field, while the 1999 meeting in the stadium attracted more than 7,000 people. The first meeting indoors in 2000 brought 2,105 people to the arena.
Shareholders Meeting Audio
Mike Sherman gives the Football Report (RealAudio)
John Jones gives the Lambeau Field Report (RealAudio)
Carl Kuehne gives the Foundation Report (RealAudio)
Bob Harlan, John Jones & Bob Dunn of the Hammes Company meet with the Media (RealAudio)
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