Bears' GM named NWL exec of the year

K.L. Wombacher was accepting an award he didn't expect when he got another surprise from its presenter, Bob Richmond.

"When the league president and I shook hands after the meeting," the Bears general manager said Thursday, "he told me the vote had been unanimous. That was really neat, to think that the rest of the league has seen what we're doing."

What the Bears have been doing, under Wombacher's four-year watch, is steadily increase their fan base despite losing teams.

For inspiring such growth, and helping solidify the Bears in what is easily the league's smallest market, Wombacher has been named the NWL's Executive of he Year.

"Surprise was my first reaction," Wombacher said Thursday. "I'm sitting there (at the league's fall meeting in Portland), they're announcing all the awards and then they say the title of the award and my name. I was shocked. I thought they'd made a mistake or something."

Since Wombacher became GM prior to the 2005 season, succeeding Bob Romero, the Bears have not had a winning season but have nonetheless increased their attendance by 40 percent.

In 2004 they drew 51,444, the lowest total of the modern Bears era, and last summer attracted 72,207.

This despite Yakima's 28-48 record, which was easily the league's worst. The attendance figure represented a three percent increase over 2007.

"We've gotten great support in Yakima, so the people of Yakima know what we're doing," Wombacher said, "but recognition from your peers is very gratifying. Every team is doing good things trying to improve their operations."

Wombacher, 29, is a Tacoma native who graduated from Bellarmine Prep in 1997 and completed a degree in fitness and sports management from Central Washington University in 2001.

That summer he began working for the Bears as an intern, became a full-time staffer the following year as director of operations, and in 2003 was promoted to assistant GM.

Wombacher's wife, Lauren, is the team's director of merchandising and graphic design. They live in Terrace Heights.

Wombacher is also one of the Bears' owners.

During his tenure as GM the Bears have made major improvements at Yakima County Stadium, which they have leased through the 2015 season, and the club will soon move into new downtown offices.

"We're just putting the finishing touches on our new headquarters and we're doing a lot of paperwork," Wombacher said. "People have been talking to me about the Sun Kings going under and the Reds going under, but all I can say is I feel like we have a bright future.

"The ownership has made clear that they're not afraid to invest in the Bears' future and our staff has made investments by working their tails off. We feel like we've positioned ourselves for success, and we're working hard to continue to improve."

• The Classified Marketplace
• • Announcements
  • Public Notices
  • Legal Notices
  • Merchandise
  • Yard Sales
  • Animals
  • Finance

• Newspaper Ads
  View All