Front Office

Mr. Gary Jacobs is the Managing Director of Jacobs Investment Company LLC (JIC). JIC was created in 1997 to participate in real estate development, private and public equity and venture funds primarily in the United States. In partnership with several developers, JIC has invested over sixty million dollars in projects. Mr. Jacobs serves as Chairman of the Board of DermTech International, Ora Bio Ltd. and Nutrinia Ltd. Mr. Jacobs is also a director of Next Generation Technologies, GEO2 Technologies Inc., Viryd Technologies, Bio2 Technologies and Fallbrook Technologies. Mr. Jacobs has been the managing owner of the Lake Elsinore Storm Professional Baseball team since 2001, the Class A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and Member of the California League of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. He was approved as owner of the Las Vegas Wranglers Professional Hockey team on June 15, 2010. In the community, Mr. Jacobs serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of High Tech High charter high schools, Graduate School of Education and national high school reform movement. HTH is founded on three design principles: personalization, adult-world connection, and a common intellectual mission. He also serves as Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Social Sciences at University of California at San Diego UCSD. He and his wife, Jerri-Ann, created the Gary and Jerri-Ann Graduate Fellowship in Social Sciences Endowment and the Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs Chair in Social Sciences. In addition, Mr. Jacobs is a past president of the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County. He and Jerri-Ann have endowed the Jerri-Ann and Gary Jacobs Teen Director position and created an endowment for the senior department at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. Mr. Jacobs is also a board member of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jewish Community Centers Association and the UCSD Board of Overseers. In the summer of 2000, Mr. Jacobs created and funded the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute. The institute brings together ten Jewish teenagers from San Diego, ten Jewish teenagers from the Shaar HarNegev region in Israel, ten Israeli Bedouin teenagers from Segev Shalom and ten Palestinian teenagers from Gaza for a year long program during which participants and staff travel together, study historical and current Muslim/Jewish relations. Mr. Jacobs graduated in 1979 from the University of California at San Diego with a B.A. in Management Science. He worked as a Software Programmer and Engineer at Linkabit Inc. and QUALCOMM from 1979 through 1996, then as a Senior Education Specialist until 2000 working with K-12 educational institutions to enhance science and math studies. Mr. Jacobs lives in Del Mar with his wife Jerri-Ann, son Adam, daughters Sara, Beth, and Mara, and their dogs, Jasmine and Goldie.

Billy Johnson is entering his ninth season at the helm of the Las Vegas Wranglers and seventh season with the titles of President & Chief Operating Officer. Johnson was originally named Vice President on January 14th, 2003. On June 28, 2005 Johnson was promoted to his current title. Each of the Wranglers’ first three seasons enjoyed attendance increases for which, in part, Johnson was recognized as a finalist/runner up for the ECHL Executive of the Year Award in both 2003-04 and 2005-06. Johnson was named to Las Vegas’ 2005 40 under 40 as one of Las Vegas’ “burgeoning stars making significant achievements in the work force, and excelling in corporate America” according to In Business Las Vegas on February 2, 2005, the second such award to his credit. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Johnson came to the Wranglers after five years as Vice President & General Manager of the Nashua Pride in baseball’s Atlantic League. Johnson was named the Atlantic League Executive of the Year in 2000 by a vote of member teams. After winning an Atlantic League championship and enjoying a spike in attendance and community support, the Pride were named 2000’s seventh biggest news story in the State of New Hampshire by The Nashua Telegraph. On January 28, 2002 he was selected as a charter member of New Hampshire’s “40 Under 40” by the Union Leader, New Hampshire’s daily newspaper, as one of the “state’s rising business leaders and as one who has positively impacted New Hampshire’s quality of life.” He received numerous community service awards for an extensive community outreach program during his time in Nashua, NH from 1997 to 2002. Johnson served as an Assistant General Manager with Baseball’s Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts from 1993-94 and an Assistant General Manager with the Class-A Kinston Indians from 1991-93. Johnson began his career in professional baseball in 1984 as a mascot, “Billy Bird” with then Triple-A Louisville Redbirds and became Director of Public / Media Relations for Louisville in 1989. Johnson received his degree in telecommunications and journalism from the University of Kentucky.  Johnson resides in Las Vegas with his lovely wife, Erica.

Voelker was named Vice President Operations in Fall of 2005. Voelker is in his eighth season with the Wranglers after spending the previous six years with the Bakersfield Condors where he was Director of Team Operations. Deric was the Director of Communication for the Condors from 1997-1999 and performed the Condors radio play-by-play from 1997 through the middle of the 1998-99 season. Before coming to Bakersfield in August of 1997, Deric was the Director of Broadcasting for the Butte (MT) Copper Kings Baseball Club (Pioneer League) for two seasons, and was also the broadcaster for the Junior A Bozeman Icedogs (AFHL) during the 1996-97 season. A native of St. Louis, Deric has a Bachelor of Science in communications from Valparaiso University, Indiana.

msmith@lasvegaswranglers.com
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Matt Smith is entering his second season as Vice President of Ticket Sales & Service for the Las Vegas Wranglers. Smith began his career as an Account Executive with the Colorado Rapids where he finished top ten in group sales in the MLS. Demonstrating his desire to climb the ladder, Smith was promoted to Account Executive with the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets where he was consistently ranked in the top three in season ticket sales and group sales. Continuing his ascension in the Kroenke Sports hierarchy, Smith was promoted to Director of Ticket Sales and Service for the Colorado Mammoth. Due to his efforts, the Mammoth had their most successful season in franchise history, averaging 17,153 fans per game. Prior to joining the Wranglers, he spent two years working with Maloof Sports & Entertainment, where he was Director of Ticket Sales, overseeing day-to-day ticket sales responsibilities for the Sacramento Kings. While with Sacramento, Smith contributed to the five percent increase in attendance for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Originally from Logan, Utah, Smith earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications with an emphasis in public relations from Utah State University. He resides in Nevada Trails with his wife Michelle, eight-year-old daughter Daphne, five-year-old son Cole and 10-month daughter Brooklyn.

thutton@lasvegaswranglers.com
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Todd Hutton joined the Wranglers in June 2010. Hutton has called Las Vegas home since 2008, working as a radio marketing consultant for Beasley Broadcast group. Before moving to Las Vegas, Todd spent eight years living in the Hudson Valley area of New York. While there, Todd was the Local Sales Manager for Cumulus Broadcasting of Poughkeepsie. Todd was extremely active in the Hudson Valley community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce, the Pitch for Kids Foundation and the Hudson Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was also Chairman of the Advisory Council for the HUB, a young professionals networking group, and a member of the inaugural class of the Hudson Valley’s 40 under 40 in 2005. Hutton has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he played both varsity hockey and tennis. Todd lives in Summerlin with his wife Sarah, a Las Vegas native, and their two young sons Colby and Chase.

Lyndsi is originally from Live Oak, California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of the Pacific and is a graduate of the Game Face Sports Executive Academy. Erickson previously spent a year with the Wranglers as an Account Executive. In the interim, she spent some time working in the VIP casino marketing industry before returning to the Wranglers in June 2008 to head the new CSPlus Program.  Erickson was promoted to Vice President, Civic Engagement on August 1, 2011.

Rachel Wright graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. While in college, she interned with the Reno Aces, Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Reno Bighorns, an NBA Development League team. She also spent three months in South Africa working as a public and media relations intern for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Las Vegas native joined the Wranglers as Director of Media and Public Relations in July 2011.

Terry joined the Wranglers in September of 2008 for her first season with the team. Prior to joining the team, Blalock was the accountant for Eagle Jet Aviation in Las Vegas. Terry has an extensive banking and accounting background with nearly 20 years of experience. The six-year resident of Las Vegas spent eight years as a bank manager in San Jose, CA. Blalock resides in Las Vegas with her husband Bud and their daughter Alicia.

agodino@lasvegaswranglers.com
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mlangseth@lasvegaswranglers.com
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Matt Langseth joined the Wranglers in July 2010 as an account executive. Before moving to Las Vegas, Matt attended Cornell University. He majored in communication and played varsity baseball, and was named captain during his senior year. Matt was promoted to inside sales manager in November 2010.

itasso@lasvegaswranglers.com
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Ian was born and raised in Boston, and graduated Emerson College in 2011 with a degree in both journalism and marketing. While in Boston, Ian was employed by both the Boston Globe and WEEI 850AM Sports Radio, and won two EVVY Awards for his radio host work on “Last Call Sports.” Ian was also a Celtics and BC Eagles beat writer for WEEI.com, a voiceover/sports reporter for WERS 88.9 FM and ESPN Radio, and has called college games all over the Boston area. In August of 2011,  he took his talents to Las Vegas to work for the Wranglers and lived happily ever after.