EVERETT – From concept to construction, Fred Safstrom has seen the Everett Events Center add entertainment horsepower to downtown’s economic engine.
The executive director of the Everett Public Facilities District ended his 41/2-year tenure at the center on Friday.
The departure of the center’s lone public employee marks a complete transition to private day-to-day management of the $71.5 million publicly funded structure.
“Fred is an extraordinarily capable individual,” said Earl Dutton, president of the five-person Public Facilities District board of directors. “He just walked into a few-month job and it lasted a few years in this case.”
The facilities board recently decided to retool its structure, shifting Safstrom’s duties to Global Spectrum, the company that is paid to run the events center.
The company has been in charge of booking acts and marketing the center since 2002, but Safstrom has stayed on as the top administrator.
His $90,000-a-year position was originally created to help with construction.
A contract dispute with Global Spectrum, a Philadelphia subsidiary of sports and entertainment giant Comcast-Spectacore, prompted the board to retain Safstrom as a “watchdog,” Dutton said.
“We had a lot of unfinished business when we first opened,” he said.
Relations have since stabilized. In May, the Public Facilities District extended Global Spectrum’s contract for 15 months.
Officials say the company has proven itself to be a responsible steward of the public facility, paying off $500,000 of the center’s debt last year.
“This is a vote of confidence in Global Spectrum’s management,” Safstrom said.
“It’s also a sign of the building’s maturity,” said Kim Bedier, the center’s general manager.
Bedier, a Global Spectrum employee, will now report directly to the facilities board in Safstrom’s place.
The Everett Events Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave., includes an ice rink, an 8,300-seat arena and a city-owned conference center.
The Everett Facilities District owns the ice rink and the arena, and oversees the conference center for the city of Everett.
Global Spectrum manages the entire facility, which is used by the Silvertips minor league hockey team and the Everett Hawks arena football team.
Operational costs for the center are covered by ticket sales and a state sales tax rebate that is expected to bring in $850,000 this year. The facility also gets a $530,000 annual subsidy from Snohomish County.
The Events Center’s success depends on its ability to attract concerts to the arena, Safstrom said.
Concert venues in the Puget Sound region often compete for a limited pool of talent traveling to the area, Safstrom said.
KeyArena, located in downtown Seattle, has struggled to book enough concerts, Safstrom said. Meanwhile, other venues, including the Events Center, are competing for shows.
Safstrom said he’s confident the Everett Events Center is in a good position for success, but hard work remains.
“The Everett Events Center has experienced both the startup challenges and the honeymoon period,” Safstrom said. “While the startup challenges have been successfully addressed, the honeymoon period will end.”
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.
Fred Safstrom
Age: 52
Family: wife, Diane; children Leah, 19; David, 17; John, 15
Hometown: Everett
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