MADISON, Ill. - Gateway International Raceway recently filled two key openings with the hires of Tony Funderburg as the facility’s director of business development and Kim Chrisman as its advertising/marketing/merchandise manager.
Funderburg, a former general manager for the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies baseball team, is a graduate of Ft. Zumwalt South High School, earning a communications degree from Missouri State University. He worked with the River City Rascals, another team in the Frontier League, as an interns starting in 2001 and was quickly promoted to the position of director of stadium operations. He moved to the Grizzlies in 2002 to perform the same function and was promoted to general manager following that season.
His first season at the helm saw him recognized as the league’s Executive of the Year, an award he would win twice more in 2005 and 2007. The team also set two league attendance records during his tenure as well as earning a league title in 2003.
Prior to his hire at GIR, Funderburg was the chief operating officer for the Reno Bighorns, a team in the NBA Developmental League.
Chrisman has worked extensively with Gateway in the past as a contracted media buyer and consultant. The Parkway Central High School and University of Missouri graduate has more than 20 years of advertising and marketing experience and is responsible for the negotiating and purchasing of ad placement for Gateway International Raceway and its more than 200 annual events. Chrisman is also responsible for GIR’s merchandise, from the design phase to its eventual sale at the track.
GIR’s Vice President and General Manager, Lenny Batycki, said the new additions add to a top-notch staff. “Having Tony and Kim here really compliments the staff we’ve put together,” Batycki said. “Like the rest of the folks here, they bring tons of experience and a great passion for the sport of auto racing. The fans, racers, and sanctions who come here will continue to see a high-level of quality when it comes to the jobs we do and the product we present.”
For more information on Gateway International Raceway and its events, visit them on the Web at GatewayRaceway.com.
Funderburg, a former general manager for the Frontier League’s Gateway Grizzlies baseball team, is a graduate of Ft. Zumwalt South High School, earning a communications degree from Missouri State University. He worked with the River City Rascals, another team in the Frontier League, as an interns starting in 2001 and was quickly promoted to the position of director of stadium operations. He moved to the Grizzlies in 2002 to perform the same function and was promoted to general manager following that season.
His first season at the helm saw him recognized as the league’s Executive of the Year, an award he would win twice more in 2005 and 2007. The team also set two league attendance records during his tenure as well as earning a league title in 2003.
Prior to his hire at GIR, Funderburg was the chief operating officer for the Reno Bighorns, a team in the NBA Developmental League.
Chrisman has worked extensively with Gateway in the past as a contracted media buyer and consultant. The Parkway Central High School and University of Missouri graduate has more than 20 years of advertising and marketing experience and is responsible for the negotiating and purchasing of ad placement for Gateway International Raceway and its more than 200 annual events. Chrisman is also responsible for GIR’s merchandise, from the design phase to its eventual sale at the track.
GIR’s Vice President and General Manager, Lenny Batycki, said the new additions add to a top-notch staff. “Having Tony and Kim here really compliments the staff we’ve put together,” Batycki said. “Like the rest of the folks here, they bring tons of experience and a great passion for the sport of auto racing. The fans, racers, and sanctions who come here will continue to see a high-level of quality when it comes to the jobs we do and the product we present.”
For more information on Gateway International Raceway and its events, visit them on the Web at GatewayRaceway.com.
