{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Mike Waddell: President & Governor, Allen Americans Professional Hockey Club","description":"Meet a new Fairview neighbor, Mike Waddell, President & Governor of the Allen Americans Professional Hockey Club. A 30-plus year veteran of the sports world, Waddell took the helm of business operations with the Allen Americans team in 2020 after most recently serving as president of World Team Tennis\u2019 Orlando Storm. Just prior to that, he served as team president for the Orlando Apollos in the Alliance of American Football for the 2019 season and also has built his extensive experience in college sports and NASCAR.   Waddell said when he received the call from Allen Americans Owner Jack Gulati to consider a move to North Texas, there was no doubt he wanted to seize the opportunity.    \u201cI said \u2018I\u2019ve gotta do this!\u2019 This is a great place, and living over in Fairview, it\u2019s a great place to live,\u201d Waddell said. \u201cI\u2019ve lived in a lot of suburbs, bedroom communities \u2026  you just want to be close to everything, but you also want to be able to feel like you\u2019ve gotten away. This is the best area I have been for that, and my wife talks about it all the time. We actually know our neighbors here.\u201d   Waddell and his wife, Heidi, have two adult daughters, and are experiencing first hand the community pride and quality of life that can be a game changer in helping  the Allen Americans recruit, he said.    \u201cPart of being able to recruit, whether you\u2019re in college sports or minor league professional hockey like we are with the Allen Americans, is you\u2019ve got to have a great place to recruit to. We play in a nice arena but we live in a great area. These guys, they could be in Wheeling, West Virginia, or Kalamazoo, Michigan, or Orlando, Florida, or Rapid City, South Dakota. I mean, there are 26 teams in the ECHL that are in 20 states and two foreign provinces in Canada. \u2026 When you can come back to a super area like this, you can recruit solid talent. People want to come here and work,\u201d Waddell said, citing our \u201cfour seasons\u201d lifestyle and options for dining, cultural experiences, family fun activities and access to nature.    In this episode, Waddell shares more of his love for Fairview and the greater area, including future goals for the organization to more deeply engage in the community through its foundation and how the organization is eager to custom tailor experiences for fans.   \u201cPeople are looking for things to do right now. Maybe it\u2019s for their family. Maybe it\u2019s just for them and their significant other. Maybe they want to come out with a big group from work. We can create that type of experience for you and make you have a really awesome experience whenever you come to the Allen Americans and the Allen Event Center,\u201d Waddell said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a member of our community, we\u2019re a year-round lifestyle brand. I don\u2019t want to be [just] a hockey team.\u201d   Give a listen to hear more from Mike Waddell, and learn more about the Allen Americans Professional Hockey Club at allenamericans.com. ","author_name":"Getting Neighborly -- Town of Fairview","author_url":"http:\/\/www.gettingneighborly.com","html":"