Bloomington has hired a new manager to oversee the operations of two downtown entertainment venues.
Anthony Nelson has been the city’s business manager for seven years. Miller worked at the Park Zoo where he worked for six years before serving as business manager for the city’s parks, recreation, culture and arts department. He also joined the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA) as Interim Zoo Director and Team His Leader.
Nelson does a great job. Until recently, Grossinger Motors Arena was managed by an outside company and was constantly losing money. The former area manager stole the city’s funds. The city shut down its former arena management company in the early stages of the COVID pandemic.
The BCPA had its own problems last year, including some high-profile turnovers and allegations of a toxic work environment.
Nelson has officially been on the job for a week, but has been working for months to book events at two venues.
In an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas, Nelson said:
BCPA
Nelson said he is working to bring in a good work culture after several senior officials left last year. The BCPA’s last artistic director, Jeonghoon Kim, has been fired for a series of alleged violations, including workplace bullying.
According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Kim has violated workplace bullying, the city’s Purchasing Card (P-Card), and the city’s drug- and alcohol-free workplace policy.
A city employee who worked with Kim reported to Human Resources that Kim directed abusive and misogynistic comments at her and said she would be fired if she complained.
“I’ve tried to defend myself and I honestly fear there will be backlash, but it just doesn’t seem fair when you’re vomiting at work because of a toxic work environment. Human Resources.”
The employee said Mr Kim also drank alcohol in front of his colleagues at a Bloomington farmers market and didn’t pay for it. When she confronted him about it, Kim replied that he was managing her, so “look away from her like I said,” her document said.
Kim is currently registered as Associate Director of Education at the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston. In a phone call, Kim said he “strongly disagrees” with all the allegations made in the report, and said he was already looking for another job when he was fired.
“When I heard the news (alleged against him), it put a bitter taste in my mouth. Metaphorically speaking, I started looking for another job,” he said. I was.
Kim said he shouldn’t have been working that day because of the drinking incident, but he was temporarily helping out.
Kim believes the complaints filed against him are retaliation for his efforts to oust former BCPA director Jim Mack.
“There was a lot of work drama out there after Jim Mack was gone,” said Kim.
Mack departed in January after a domestic battery charge. City officials have not disclosed the reason for his resignation. BCPA Production Manager Ryan High also retired at the same time.
Nelson, the new BCPA manager, said he is trying to get buy-in by helping staff build and book this year’s line-up.
“When you lose leadership and lose people in higher positions, there was some anxiety at first. I think,” said Nelson.
arena
Nelson said the city plans to save nearly $500,000 annually by consolidating most of the operations of the arena and the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. The city is using a combination of show, operations and other staff to run the new venue, he said. Previously, the city let a private company operate the stadium.
“If we can bring them to the city, we can also have other departments in the city that provide services to help us. It will be a city effort and a department effort,” Nelson said. .
Nelson added the venue could be profitable, but said the city should also consider the overall economic impact of the event on restaurants, retail stores and hotels.
“When we book an event, we don’t just say we want 14 concerts, we don’t care what the concert costs no matter what. Make sure there is work behind the scenes to make sure it is what it is.
Nelson noted that 19 of the 20 top-grossing events at arenas are country music acts, but he noted that other types of entertainment, including pop and hip-hop, comedians and sports, were among the most popular. We hope to add more diverse musical acts.
Nelson said the arena plans to hire up to seven more staff to help expand the arena’s entertainment line-up, adding that she expects arena events to return to full normal starting next year.
Nelson said the city is still investigating how many sports are suitable for the venue.It has hosted indoor football, professional hockey and basketball. Nelson said minor league basketball doesn’t make sense for the arena because it would compete with the Illinois basketball team for fans.
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