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Dan Reiter - VP/GM for The Springfield Cardinals Baseball Team
29 Plays17 days ago
A lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan, Dan got his start with Cardinals Baseball by winning the Fox Sports TV contest, "Payin' Your Dues," in May of 2004. Since joining the Springfield Cardinals prior to the inaugural season in 2005, Dan has gone from the last Account Executive hired all the way to Vice President/General Manager, with various sales and marketing positions along the way. As the second General Manager in team history, Dan's focus is two-fold: to make sure the Springfield Cardinals are advocates for a great community and to do everything the organization can to help the St. Louis Cardinals win their next World Championship. For ticket or general information on the Springfield Cardinals, you can visit them HERE.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Bio
00:00:02
The Jobs Podcast
Hey folks, you're listening to the JOBS Podcast. I'm your host, Tim Hendricks, and today we have Dan Ryder with us. He is the Vice President and General Manager of the Springfield Cardinals in the great state of Missouri in Springfield, Missouri.
00:00:15
The Jobs Podcast
So welcome, Dan. Thanks for joining me today.
00:00:17
Dan Reiter
Hey, glad to be here. Thanks for having me.
00:00:19
The Jobs Podcast
You bet.
Dan Ryder's Early Life and Background
00:00:20
The Jobs Podcast
So let's go ahead and start off like we always do on the JOBS Podcast with a little bit of origin story about where you were born and your upbringing, and and we'll just go from there.
00:00:29
Dan Reiter
Yeah. Um, I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Um, my dad was, you know, kind of from just South of St. Louis. Um, my mom's side of the family was in Springfield. They met in Springfield, but, uh, got married and had me when they were in Tulsa.
00:00:43
Dan Reiter
Um, we lived there. I've got a a younger brother, younger sister. Um, we moved back to Missouri when I was in about third grade to Sedalia, Missouri. Um, We were there for about four or five years and then came back to Springfield.
00:00:57
Dan Reiter
um So my family's been here since I was um in eighth grade, went to Springfield Catholic High School. um And then after high school, went to college at University of Missouri.
00:01:08
Dan Reiter
from University of Missouri. um i never really figured out what I wanted to do, so I got a marketing degree. And what I've kind of realized is a lot of people you know that were were either marketing or communications, we were lost souls, but we were really good at parties.
Career Beginnings and Opportunities
00:01:23
Dan Reiter
Um, and so that was kind of, uh, you know, after that, um, I ended up winning a TV contest to be president of the St. Louis Cardinals for a day. Um, and that was kind of what took me on this journey.
00:01:33
The Jobs Podcast
Oh.
00:01:36
Dan Reiter
That's now been a 21 career, 21 year career in minor league baseball.
00:01:41
The Jobs Podcast
That is the most unique origin story. I've never heard of anybody winning a contest and then all of a sudden they're 20 years later, they're doing the job. That's great.
00:01:49
Dan Reiter
Well, there must have been something at the water at Mizzou because two of the other guys that I was friends with and and you know have pictures with, one of them won ESPN's first dream job.
00:02:00
Dan Reiter
One of them won the chance to be on an episode of MTV Road Rules.
00:02:00
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:02:04
Dan Reiter
And then I won that contest to be president of the Cardinals for a day. So three of us that were all buddies, all three of us won TV contests.
00:02:11
The Jobs Podcast
Now, did those other two go on to work for the two companies like you did?
00:02:16
Dan Reiter
oh One of them did. He stayed with ESPN for a while. And I'm not really sure where he went, but I know he did have a career when I think like maybe Big Ten Network after that. um But he did translate it into a career.
00:02:26
The Jobs Podcast
Wow.
00:02:28
The Jobs Podcast
That's cool.
Sales Strategies and Philosophy
00:02:30
The Jobs Podcast
So you got your marketing degree. You won this contest. What was your first step in the door with the Springfield Cardinals organization?
00:02:40
Dan Reiter
My first step um was really through the contest. I mean, to to kind of say it, um I made a really good impression on the president of the St. Louis Cardinals. And when I met him, you know,
00:02:51
Dan Reiter
there was all these rumors that they were going to move a minor league team to Springfield. So when I met him, I was 23 and naive. And so he said do you have any questions? to go, yeah. are you Are you going to move a minor league team to Springfield, Missouri?
00:03:02
Dan Reiter
And he's like, you know, young man, that's a really bold question. I'm like, it is. Are you going to move a team there or not? um And so I think he was used to dealing with people my age that were, you know, more afraid to work with them, more timid.
00:03:15
Dan Reiter
And I think that he just kind of liked that, you know, I was outgoing, talked to everybody. And so he actually told the people that were interviewing Springfield, like, hey, give this guy another look. So um they were only going to interview and hire five sales reps.
00:03:31
Dan Reiter
But because I had made that good impression, I was actually the throw in hire in year one. So I was rep number six. um And so really that contest got me in the door with kind of that extra position where I started out as an account executive doing ticket sales.
00:03:48
The Jobs Podcast
So the advice there is take your shot when you get the opportunity. Just go for it 100%.
00:03:54
Dan Reiter
Oh, absolutely. And I think especially as I talk to college classes, um you know, it's it's to not be intimidated by others and to talk to everyone like you talk to a friend. And i think that that whether whatever you want to phrase that, you know, take your shot, not being afraid.
00:04:10
Dan Reiter
um i still think a part of it is just communication and not just knowing how to type or how to write or write. talk fluidly in a professional manner. I think just being able to talk to people and connect and really that contest, they picked me because they said I was natural and that it seemed like someone that it would be fun to follow around.
00:04:31
Dan Reiter
And I think sometimes that's get lost in the professional setting is, you know, we choose the people in our lives that we enjoy being around. So, you know, be, be who you are, embrace it, lean into it, have fun with it.
00:04:43
The Jobs Podcast
So, you know, sometimes when I deal with people in sales, you can tell that they're kind of putting on this persona. It's the salesman shtick where they're trying to sell you on something as opposed to finding out what you want or just relating to you as another human being.
00:05:00
The Jobs Podcast
And I think what I'm hearing from you is you came in and you just treated them how you would like to be treated. You were aggressive, you were assertive, but you were just yourself. And that, I think that's probably, from what I'm hearing anyway, it sounds like that's really what got you in the door.
00:05:15
Dan Reiter
Oh, yeah. And I still am that way. um
00:05:17
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:05:18
Dan Reiter
You know, I will never be the most professional speech giver, the most, what I'll say, following what makes a good salesperson, any of that stuff. Like, I don't know if I do any of that well, but I just try to take the time to connect.
00:05:32
Dan Reiter
And, you know, i think the other part of that, though, I will say is believe in your product. And I think if you can believe in your product, you can be authentic and then you take the time to connect. That's where you get a good recipe. And, you know, some people are in sales to make money and other people are in sales because they believe in a product.
00:05:48
Dan Reiter
And for me, especially the economics of Miley Baseball, it's very much that I'm in it because I believe in the product and like what I do.
00:05:56
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
Marketing and Management Insights
00:05:57
The Jobs Podcast
what What do you do in marketing for a minor league baseball team? What is ah day in the life of kind of like?
00:06:08
Dan Reiter
it Varies day to day. And i recently was being followed around from a um and now ah media outlet wanting to do a story. And that's what I had to explain. like
00:06:18
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:06:19
Dan Reiter
you know We've got in-season, we've got off-season. You have game day, you have non-game day. um When you deal with a Major League Baseball team, a lot of people have one specialty. In Minor League Baseball, you kind of are jack of all trades.
00:06:33
Dan Reiter
um Today, for example, my morning started with ah talking to a third grade class, followed by coming in and doing a tarp pool. um A meeting on our marketing content creation, followed by a meeting on our public relations program.
00:06:49
Dan Reiter
um Before I had to a couple of one-on-one meetings about a church program and a different ticketing program. So And then this afternoon, I'll talk to both managers, umpires. I think I've got a tour scheduled to take people around the ballpark. So there's really no rhyme or reason. And honestly, I think that works okay with my personality.
00:07:13
Dan Reiter
I think some people, if they liked structure, would probably think this job is insane and they wouldn't want any part of it. But for me, that's a part of the joy is that it really does vary so much.
00:07:23
The Jobs Podcast
Every day is a new day. It's it's all different.
00:07:26
Dan Reiter
Yeah, so it's kind of like, let's yeah what's today bring? Let's roll.
00:07:31
The Jobs Podcast
So you started with marketing. You worked your way up. What was your next step up the rung with the Cardinals?
00:07:38
Dan Reiter
Yeah, actually, i'd say I started in ticket sales, you know, and I think that's where, you know, especially when I talk to a lot of young people, um I think people are afraid of sales, but that's really where you have the most entry level jobs with opportunity.
00:07:41
The Jobs Podcast
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:07:50
Dan Reiter
And I don't think it matters what field you go into. I think sales is something that benefits you because ultimately it's convincing people around you to do to to to have a course of action.
00:08:02
Dan Reiter
Teachers need to convince kids to do things. They need to convince parents to buy in. An engineer needs to convince another company to to go with them versus someone else. I think sales is really all around us.
00:08:13
Dan Reiter
um So I started in ticket sales. And then when doing ticket sales, they kind of realized on the side, I did have a knack for some of that um marketing and in those personal interactions with fans.
00:08:25
Dan Reiter
So they started having me ah kind of be the backup MC during games. And I loved that. And it kind of got me some exposure to a whole bunch of new people. and And I think it really started in the ticket of sales. You add in some of those game day promotions and then ah then it kind of turned into more of management and not just worrying about what I did for my job, but worrying how to make other people around me do better.
00:08:49
Dan Reiter
and And that's kind of really, you know, I obviously have had different job traits, but I think ever since my either third or fourth year here, I've had people reporting to me so that it's not just about making me better, it's making other people around me try to be better too.
00:09:06
The Jobs Podcast
As I talk with you, I can quickly tell you're more of an extroverted personality. What?
00:09:11
Dan Reiter
I think that's a fair assessment.
00:09:14
The Jobs Podcast
Well, and I'm kind of that way too. Do you find a lot of folks that are in marketing or sales or ticket sales or whatever it would be, are they typically more extroverted or do you find people that are a little more reserved or introverted that also have found success with just a different approach?
00:09:31
Dan Reiter
Yeah, you want to find success. You don't want to find an introvert or an extrovert. and And I think that that is, um people can do it different.
00:09:35
The Jobs Podcast
Okay.
00:09:39
Dan Reiter
And I've talked about, you know, I ran our ah Little League program. And then as soon as someone else ran it, they did things I hadn't done that was better. They improved it. It was great. um And I think that, you know, even when I would be the primary trainer of salespeople for for many years here, I would try to tell them, hey, here's my path, but you've got the autonomy to figure out your own way.
00:10:00
Dan Reiter
if your way is more productive then awesome let's start training other people but if it's not then i want you to come back to my playbook um and i think that that's kind of both sales and marketing is that you you want to have a structure that you can tell them how to succeed and what the path is but you do want to give autonomy to try it their own way um But I think there just has to be an understanding between both parties that if it's not working, then here's what we need to fall back to.
00:10:25
Dan Reiter
And I also think when you're interviewing, it's about you find what you're looking for. And I think when I was younger, i wanted all 100% alpha personality extroverts.
00:10:36
Dan Reiter
And then I realized, like, okay, it's not about that one personality trait. It's about personality and fitting into a team. And starting to realize that, you know, if you look at the and NBA, for example, you don't have a starting five of all high scoring shooting guards.
00:10:51
Dan Reiter
It doesn't work.
00:10:52
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:10:52
Dan Reiter
um You have to figure out where your role players are. and And I think that building a sales and marketing team is very similar. um I will say, I think that the marketing creation um There is a lot more introvert personalities. They like to be behind a camera, behind a computer, behind the the the social media posts. like there's There's a type of people that like to be behind it versus the people who want to be the the voice, the person that's out there, the face of the organization. So I think the marketing, especially you have both introverted and extroverted.
00:11:29
Dan Reiter
i think in sales, it's pretty hard to be introverted, at least in our industry.
Mentorship and Learning in Career
00:11:33
Dan Reiter
um I think if you find people that more maybe are able to do it with you know email marketing or email sales only.
00:11:41
Dan Reiter
um But I think that just the concept of talking to people makes salespeople almost have to be extroverted.
00:11:49
The Jobs Podcast
I'm not in sales and I never have been in sales really other than some jobs when I was younger, but is I've always gotten the impression and it could be incorrectly that sales is usually a numbers game as far as the more people you talk with, you know, you just got to keep talking with people and eventually ah the numbers work out in your favor.
00:12:08
The Jobs Podcast
Is it still kind of that way or is sales turned into more of a ah sniper type of an approach where, I'm going to develop a relationship with this one person and I'm going to really sink into this one person versus just superficial with everybody.
00:12:23
Dan Reiter
um Well, first, I don't think it's fair to say superficial to everybody.
00:12:26
The Jobs Podcast
ah Well, yeah.
00:12:26
Dan Reiter
um I don't think that's a fair statement.
00:12:27
The Jobs Podcast
Okay.
00:12:29
Dan Reiter
um But I think that it really depends on what you're selling and and what your market is.
00:12:33
The Jobs Podcast
Okay.
00:12:35
Dan Reiter
um ah in In minor league baseball, you know we want everyone in the area to come to the game. So we want to talk with everyone. um Now, once you start a conversation, you have to dial it in and figure out more about them.
00:12:48
Dan Reiter
But you really have to have your head on a swivel looking everywhere. um My wife, she's had a very good, very, very good career as a loan officer. And she's never done cold calling because she builds relationships and gets referrals.
00:13:03
The Jobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:13:04
Dan Reiter
She's worked with people that, you know, they they these joke is calling it dialing for dollars, is they'll go through 150 calls a day And they'll get one or two, but they'll make their money and they're happy.
00:13:16
Dan Reiter
So I do think that there's no one size fits all in either sales or marketing. um but But I do think once you are able to talk to someone, you still have to connect.
00:13:28
Dan Reiter
You know, some people do it more with facts. Some people do it more with a rapport. um You still have to have connection, though.
00:13:37
The Jobs Podcast
Did you have any mentors when you were early on One person that really gave you a lot of solid advice and took you under your their wing and kind of guided you through it? Or did you learn a little bit from everybody as part of a team?
00:13:51
Dan Reiter
um Yes and yes.
00:13:52
The Jobs Podcast
Okay.
00:13:52
Dan Reiter
i you know you you You learn differently. And I think part of it was I love to be involved in the community and watching people and seeing what made them successful and successful.
00:14:05
Dan Reiter
but i But I did that, I'll say more of that shotgun approach of doing lots of things, observing versus dialing it in on one. And I think that helped me to start realizing people succeeded in different ways and had different, and I think that was good for me versus thinking I had to do it one way.
00:14:22
Dan Reiter
um I will say I had two people, like when the when the Cardinals first started, they had four vice presidents. And I learned something unique from each of them. um And really, especially when I first started, there was two that that really took me under their wing in totally two very different ways.
00:14:40
Dan Reiter
um One, I think, was more job-specific on how to be successful in sales, how to move forward. And the other was more about how to be how to be a good teammate and care for the people around you.
00:14:51
Dan Reiter
and And I think that it was interesting having two different people that both did that. um I was very fortunate. and And the fact that I was working with them meant that I had more interactions with someone that maybe talks to someone every other week or once a month. So I do view my career path as being highly influenced by those first vice presidents of the Springfield Cardinals.
00:15:14
Dan Reiter
um And I was very fortunate to have have some of them really, really take me under their wing. I was very blessed.
Impact of Social Media on Sports Marketing
00:15:22
The Jobs Podcast
Has there been anything in your 20 plus years in marketing with the Cardinals that um I'm going to guess social media has been one big change that you've seen in your time there, but is it still an individual person thing or does social media really control a large part of how you market? it
00:15:43
Dan Reiter
um It's absolutely a huge change. um And really, you know, what I what i try to
00:15:45
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:15:49
Dan Reiter
help people remember is that when the Springfield Cardinal started, there were no smartphones.
00:15:53
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:15:53
Dan Reiter
And once you had smartphones, people, they watched the game different. You know that's when all the nets around Major League Baseball had to be extended. So I actually call them the cell phone nets, is that before cell phones, people paid attention more to the game.
00:16:07
Dan Reiter
Now with cell phones, they're distracted. um I was a you know, I'm not big into social media, but I understand its importance. So I was one of the first people in our league that was really advocating for the Cardinals to like hire someone dedicated to social media.
00:16:22
Dan Reiter
um I think it's a very, very important tool on how to reach people. Absolutely. But I also think what you're seeing is that in marketing, you don't put all your eggs in one basket and you need to make sure that you're different.
00:16:39
Dan Reiter
all of your your different means of communication are connected, that they they offer something different on each different social media channel, but that needs to supplement your email, which needs to supplement your website, which supplements the story you tell in stadium versus the radio.
00:16:56
Dan Reiter
um Then what we're gonna put out on TV, billboards, like theres there's so many different ways to reach people and you have to make sure that it's it's not just a go all in on one thing because then you're gonna forget a lot of other people.
00:17:09
Dan Reiter
But I also think that that's the nature of our business. As I said, like we want everyone with 100 miles of our stadium to know what's going on. you You can't do that if you only take one approach.
00:17:19
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah. What do you like most about your job?
00:17:23
Dan Reiter
People. um I work with great people, i ah fascinating people.
00:17:25
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:17:31
Dan Reiter
um And I think that you get a lot of personal fulfillment by seeing people having fun at the stadium. And you know I actually never wanted to be in sales, even though in hindsight, I did a lot of things growing up that seemed like I was going to go into sales.
00:17:46
Dan Reiter
I never wanted to be in sales, but I believe in the product. And I'm excited to talk to people about the product. I love seeing their reactions. It's fun to see people kids and families having a blast um but then on the the the co-worker side i've made unbelievable friendships with the people i've worked with i've made friendships with sponsors um when i got married we actually had season ticket holders crash our wedding because they were so excited to see me growing up and it is and and it really it also gives me an opportunity that
00:18:13
The Jobs Podcast
Oh, that's neat.
00:18:18
Dan Reiter
you know, I can be out in the community and people want to have a presence from the Cardinals and you can go be a part of, be a part of a program without actively selling. You can do it passively. So the the part about what's my favorite is always easy. It's people. I've gotten to meet such great people to know the stories, to hear the fascinating stuff about them.
00:18:41
Dan Reiter
um You know, seeing some of the players that come through here, some of them, they're just great people. And you can just tell that, Even if they don't make it the major leagues, they're going to have a great life because of the way they are as a human being. So that's always the easiest answer for my job is I do. I love the people.
00:18:57
The Jobs Podcast
It's got to be pretty pretty neat to see a minor league player go up to the big show when they get called up like that. That's got to be just their biggest day.
Challenges and Learning from Failure
00:19:06
Dan Reiter
Yeah, it is. And I think that's where you've seen on so on social media, a lot of teams trying to record telling some of these players so that they can see those reactions and see those moments. um But even here, I think of fans, when you first start a minor league club,
00:19:20
Dan Reiter
people are they're they're used to the big leagues and so it's really different for them to understand like you only have them for a short time so you can cheer for a guy but you also have to keep watching to see if they make it all the way to big leagues and i do think our fans have really ah adopted or and adapted to that where now you have a lot of people you have an entire community of a fan base that's excited when you see the next guy make their major league baseball debut
00:19:46
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah. Every job, even the ones that we love, has some downsides to it. Is there anything about your job that you wish you could do without?
00:19:55
Dan Reiter
um that i could do that I would do without the tarp because we always had good weather. I hate the tarp with a passion. When I have to pull that, when I see it coming out, when there's a thread of it going out there, I hate the tarp.
00:20:09
Dan Reiter
um I know we need it because if you can't play on a field, you don't have a baseball game and then you don't have fans. um You need the tarp, but man, I hate it. um But i think what you're also alluding to is like, hey, what's bad about the job?
00:20:22
The Jobs Podcast
and yeah
00:20:22
Dan Reiter
And we tell everyone when they're going to come into the industry is that everyone that leaves this job leaves for the same two reasons. They leave for time and they leave for money. And when you really look at a schedule between April 1st and the end of September, half your weekends are gone.
00:20:39
Dan Reiter
um If you're a parent, that means you're going to miss out on some bedtimes. And I hate that.
00:20:43
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:20:44
Dan Reiter
My kids are six and nine years old and and i and i hate it. um and so you you're yeah it is a time intensive industry because it's it's ha hospitality it's entertainment it's seasonal so half my weekends there gone and that's a bummer and that's the time and the other one's money um i think that people when they leave the industry they usually get a job offer that they will either a make the same money for way less hours or b they will make way more money for a similar amount of hours. And so I think that that's really why people leave our industry is time and money.
00:21:21
Dan Reiter
um And I think that in order to want to stay, you have to find a lot of internal benefit of why you do this, like why it's good to have a job that's fun. But the same reasons people leave are pretty much the exact same as they leave because of time and money.
00:21:37
The Jobs Podcast
You mentioned money, and I'm not obviously going ask you what you make, but as far as marketing in minor league baseball, what what can someone, if they're listening to this and they think, I think I want to get into this career, I've got a marketing degree or that's what I'm going to get, and I love baseball or I love entertainment industry, I want to get into that.
00:21:56
The Jobs Podcast
What can they expect to make salary-wise ballpark, out of the gate anyway?
00:22:02
Dan Reiter
Yeah, I think the answer, that's kind of what i said. less than you would going to um a you know Less than you would if you looked at the same position in a different company.
00:22:13
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:22:13
Dan Reiter
um And I think that's just, it's a combination of supply and demand, that the more people that want a job, the less they have to pay. And I think that that's something that that when you work in this industry,
00:22:25
Dan Reiter
Don't expect it. And I think that's why you see people that start minor baseball will start minor league baseball. You don't see a marketing executive at, you know, XYZ company switching late in their career to come over to minor baseball because they're goingnna make more money.
00:22:43
Dan Reiter
um I would just say if they're wanting to think ballpark, it's probably going to be like, okay, take take whatever it is you were expecting, and it's probably going to be less than minor league baseball.
00:22:43
The Jobs Podcast
Right.
00:22:50
Dan Reiter
but So I'd still advise everyone for the same reason. If you ever have a dream job, try to go at it young because once you build up a lifestyle and you're used to an income level, you don't want to go backwards.
00:23:03
Dan Reiter
And we've traditionally seen that is that when we've interviewed people who have been in with other positions, it's hard to switch into minor baseball.
00:23:03
The Jobs Podcast
right
00:23:13
The Jobs Podcast
What's your advice to deal with failure if one of your employees makes a mistake or you make a mistake? what What's your your approach to respond to that?
00:23:24
Dan Reiter
Yeah. First, I remind them that no one's failed in our company more than I have. um No one's lost more sales. No one's had more bad ideas than I have. um But the important part is to learn from it, to know what you're going to do different.
00:23:38
Dan Reiter
And I think that that's any sort of failure that anyone experienced. You know, you it's an opportunity to learn and understand how to do it better the next time. and And I think that's the part ah of any sort of failure you have to look at You have to look at why did it happen and what am I going to learn?
00:23:57
The Jobs Podcast
if As you look back on your career, it's I know we can't live in the past, but if you looked back, is there anything that you would do differently in your journey to be where you're at now?
00:24:10
The Jobs Podcast
Or was the journey part of what made you who you are?
00:24:15
Dan Reiter
the The journey is absolutely for everyone what makes them who they are. I mean, the journey is that's always. And you need failures. You know, you need to stumble. um I do look back, though, and I think of things that I could have been different. I absolutely think that.
00:24:30
Dan Reiter
um Notably, I think when I started, i was a hothead. and And not that I was like out wanting to fight or anything like that, but it was like I would have an opinion and I would i would disagree. And I wouldn't hesitate to disagree all the time.
00:24:44
Dan Reiter
And one of those guys that really helped mentor me was like, hey, you got to start learning when to fight and when to walk away. And because if all if people look at you and all they see is someone who's going to disagree and argue, then they don't want you in the room.
00:24:58
Dan Reiter
So I had to really learn to backtrack and start picking and choosing my battles a lot more. And if you think about it, none of us want to be friends with the know it all who always wants to tell you why you're wrong or why they're right.
00:25:12
Dan Reiter
And I think I had to learn that professionally. And I think if I had learned that earlier, that I probably would have had less bumps and bruises. I'm not saying it would have advanced me faster or or it would make me a different person, but i just it was a lesson I wish I would have learned earlier.
00:25:29
The Jobs Podcast
do you Do you look for someone when they're coming in is a bachelor's degree or a marketing degree or whatever, formal training, how does that play into the hiring process versus experience? You see a lot of companies nowadays that it used to be, well, you have to have these certifications or this degree.
00:25:49
The Jobs Podcast
And now sometimes you're seeing things or equivalent experience, or I'm looking more at their character, or are they teachable versus did they go to class for four years?
00:25:59
The Jobs Podcast
What do you look for in someone when they're um they're applying for you?
00:26:00
Dan Reiter
Yeah.
00:26:04
Dan Reiter
Well, I'll ask you a question back here really quick here. Do you want someone to design a bridge that never went to engineering school?
00:26:11
The Jobs Podcast
No.
00:26:12
Dan Reiter
Do you want a doctor that never went to med school?
00:26:15
The Jobs Podcast
No.
00:26:15
Dan Reiter
Yeah, I think there's certain jobs that you have to have some sort of training on that's like you have to.
00:26:19
The Jobs Podcast
Right.
00:26:21
Dan Reiter
um
00:26:21
The Jobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:26:22
Dan Reiter
And I'm not saying that that's, you know, I'm not saying that's anything in particular. I'm just saying that there's no one size fits all there. And there's sometimes that you you all of us hope there's been training.
00:26:33
Dan Reiter
um But you are right. it's It's sometimes that experience is more valuable than school. Other times, if they're getting started out, it's not fair to expect someone that's taking an entry level job to also have experience.
00:26:45
The Jobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:26:45
Dan Reiter
And I think it's it's just a part of that that balance. And it's something when I was young, i remember one of my bosses talking about the concept of balance. and I thought it was stupid because it was, you know again, I was a ball of energy, hothead, let's go, go, go, go. go But the older I've gotten, the more I realized that balance is important.
00:27:04
Dan Reiter
You know, you're not looking at one line of a resume. You're looking on the entire resume, but you're also looking about what didn't make it on the resume. And you're looking about what their resume might look like in five years.
00:27:16
Dan Reiter
And I think when you start thinking of all of those things, it all becomes about being balanced. um I don't think you can ever go wrong, though, with getting a degree. And I think that some people in college think that their degree will ultimately dictate the job they get.
00:27:26
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:27:33
Dan Reiter
And I personally, in our industry, I don't feel that that's the case. I think it's more about did they get a degree and and what is their relevant experience? And do they seem like they have good people skills?
00:27:45
Dan Reiter
And so ours, yeah, I don't think we're that industry where it's like an engineer and you have to have one. But I think that that just really does vary on what people are doing.
00:27:55
Dan Reiter
And I don't think it's fair to say you can hire only higher experience or only higher education. like you got to But it is absolutely a part of those things you have to balance with with everything else.
00:28:07
The Jobs Podcast
Was there any other job that looking back, was there something that you kind of had your you're side eye on as far as, you know, if I don't go this route, that's something just totally out of left field, like, you know, being a plumber or I don't know.
00:28:22
The Jobs Podcast
Was there some other career that you kind of toyed around with or were you just in your lane from the very beginning?
00:28:28
Dan Reiter
um You mean besides professional baseball player? Obviously, I much rather have done that.
00:28:30
The Jobs Podcast
what ah Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:32
Dan Reiter
No, I think you go back and you change your mind. And at one point, I thought I wanted to be a doctor until I went to college and realized, oh, man, a doctor in med school, i have to cut through bone. That sounds gross.
00:28:46
The Jobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:28:47
Dan Reiter
um For a while, I would joke with people and tell them that I was going to either do marketing for the St. Louis Cardinals or Anheuser-Busch because they're two things I love. and And what's really funny is that ah in hindsight, yeah I work for the Cardinals and and A.B. b is a Anheuser-Busch is a partner and we want to sell a lot of their beer here.
00:29:03
Dan Reiter
So it's kind of funny, you know, going that route, but it was really more of a punchline. um When I won the TV contest, the they recorded me and had a camera, you know, two feet from my face and I loved it.
00:29:17
Dan Reiter
And I think if I had experienced something like that younger, i probably would have wanted to go all in on journalism because I still love microphones and interviews.
Personal Reflections and Family Priorities
00:29:26
Dan Reiter
I love to say there's a I've yet to meet a microphone I didn't like.
00:29:32
The Jobs Podcast
What is it about the, that, that medium that you just really are drawn towards?
00:29:38
Dan Reiter
i think i'm a storyteller um just by nature i think when we're around friends when we're you know i'm with with sponsors with ticket holders i love stories i love to hear stories i love to make up stories um that was more when i was younger you know but but it's uh know i think that it just comes down to some people are storytellers and i still love telling the story of the springfield cardinals any chance i get
00:29:40
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:30:03
Dan Reiter
And I think when they hand me a microphone, it's my opportunity to tell a story and to try to be as entertaining as possible when doing it.
00:30:12
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm. What's the best compliment professionally that you have ever received?
00:30:18
Dan Reiter
um Best compliment that I've received. um I'm going to go back a step here. And actually, i remember being in high school and my high school counselor ah he told me he had been in education for, and think he said over 25 years at the time and said he had never had a more well-rounded student than me.
00:30:41
The Jobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:30:41
Dan Reiter
And that still stands out. um And, and it still stands out as something that was really kind that he'd been around thousands of of students. And for him to say that, that one meant a lot.
00:30:53
Dan Reiter
And actually he's a season ticket holder now and I get to see him. And every time I do, it makes me smile because he took the time to say something nice.
00:30:57
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:31:00
Dan Reiter
um Professionally, you know Having people want to crash my wedding was pretty nice.
00:31:07
The Jobs Podcast
yeah
00:31:07
Dan Reiter
um I also think that i've had I've had employees that when they've left, they've cried because they were going to miss having me as their manager.
00:31:18
Dan Reiter
um And I think those personal connections. um I've had two people that I've worked with that asked if I would get ordained online so that I could do their wedding for them.
00:31:30
Dan Reiter
And a third one I lost out because they asked their cousin instead. So, but I was number two and it still made me feel good. And so I think when it comes to the professional side, the the things about the personal connections and the friendships and you mean something in other people's lives That's what matters.
00:31:49
Dan Reiter
um You know, I think whenever I get to hopefully this is decades from now, but I hope my tombstone talks about being a good husband, friend, father.
00:32:00
Dan Reiter
um It's not going to talk about being a good employee at the Springfield Cardinals. And I think that's why those things that matter the most are are those personal connections.
00:32:11
The Jobs Podcast
What is next for Dan in your career? you have any bigger aspirations or?
00:32:16
Dan Reiter
What's next for me is I'm in a stage of ju life where it's about being dad. And i i love my job right now.
00:32:20
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:32:24
Dan Reiter
i do. and And I think my kids are growing up around the ballpark and they love it and they have fun and they want to bring their friends. um But right now, like I said, my kids are six and nine years old and my career is about being their little league coach and supporting them when they're playing soccer and basketball and...
00:32:45
Dan Reiter
art projects and field trips and to me that's the most important what's next for Dan Ryder. um The rest is just details. so
00:32:55
The Jobs Podcast
Do you get to bring him to the station, or to the station, to the the stadium very often?
00:33:00
Dan Reiter
I do. um It was tougher when they were younger, but now it's getting easier and easier for my wife to be able to bring them. And I'd say that they're usually here one to two games per homestand and they love it.
00:33:13
The Jobs Podcast
Cool.
00:33:15
Dan Reiter
And even on opening night, they had school ah at school the next day and our six-year-old scared us to death by hiding. um We actually had to ask the ushers to close the gate.
00:33:28
Dan Reiter
I was so embarrassed. um but it was because he didn't want to leave he's like i i don't want to leave i like it here i want to stay here and as much as i was furious it also makes me happy that he's he's wanting to stay at the stadium and i love that my kids want to be here and they also want to know when's the next time they get to bring their friends
00:33:37
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:33:45
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:33:51
The Jobs Podcast
Well, I have to say you got a pretty cool office being able to walk into a baseball stadium every day. I'm a little bit jealous of that one.
00:34:00
Dan Reiter
Except when the tarp's off. It's not fun to walk in on those days.
00:34:03
The Jobs Podcast
Yeah. I got to tell you, Dan, I've never really talked to anybody that works in professional sports like this, and this was an enjoyable interview. i appreciate you taking the time to lay it all out and give us ah a bit of a deep dive into your unique career.
00:34:17
Dan Reiter
Well, thank you. it's I appreciate you saying that. um I love what I do. I think minor league baseball is magical. It's filled with great people and great stories. And each one of those minor league markets, it connects with their community um in a very meaningful way. and And I really do think that I was blessed to have been able to do it for 21 years.
00:34:38
Dan Reiter
um and i And I hope I'll have the ability to keep doing it for a little bit longer. But it's something that if people haven't gone out and experienced minor league baseball, they really do want to focus on connecting with their community. And I think that's what makes it so neat.
Conclusion and Further Information
00:34:52
The Jobs Podcast
If anybody's listening and they want to get more information about the Springfield Cardinals, I know where to find you, but why don't you let the listeners know what your website is and how they can get tickets and all that kind of stuff.
00:35:02
Dan Reiter
Yeah, if you want to visit SpringfieldCardinals.com. We also have ah social media. We've got actually one of the largest followings in all of AA baseball on both um both Facebook and Instagram.
00:35:15
Dan Reiter
But the best way start with SpringfieldCardinals.com. We'll take you all over. you can get your tickets online. And hopefully we'll see you out at a game this summer.
00:35:23
The Jobs Podcast
Thanks a lot, Dan. I really appreciate it
00:35:26
Dan Reiter
Hey, go Springfield Cardinals!