The owner of the proposed Rio Rancho professional hockey team has a lot of top-level experience.

Jerry James owns the Atlanta Gladiators hockey team. The Observer will interview James about his plans for the Rio Rancho team in the near future.

Here is his bio from the Gladiators’ web site.

 

James began as Team President with the Gladiators in 2019 and brought with him an extensive background in professional sports. He spent his first year with the Gladiators as the Group Sales Manager in the 2018-19 season and led the department to record highs in revenue.

The Fresno, CA native has ingrained himself in the Gwinnett and Atlanta communities and was named the Commissioner at Large for the Gwinnett County Planning Commission in 2021. He has brought issues such as land use, housing, transportation, and community goals to the forefront of growth planning in the region.

James also serves as the chairman of the ECHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone Committee to further the league’s inclusion initiatives. As the ECHL’s first Hispanic chief executive, James continues to blaze a trail for the league and the sport of hockey.

Before joining Atlanta, he spent a decade in the highest level of minor league baseball, working at the Triple-A level for the Fresno Grizzlies. During his stretch with the Grizzlies, they were affiliated with both the San Francisco Giants and the Houston Astros organizations. James earned some hardware for his hard work with four championship rings. He won two World Series Rings with San Francisco, one with Houston, as well as a Pacific Coast League championship with Fresno. While with Fresno, he served as the team’s Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Revenue. James developed many aspects of the team’s business approach, focusing on corporate partnerships and community alliances. The always-committed James spends most of his off time working with community nonprofit organizations.