Diamond Baseball pitches long-term partnership, seeks lease extension for Dickey-Stephens Park
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Summary
Diamond Baseball Holdings' representative Henry Shepherd asked the North Little Rock City Council to support a long-term lease extension for the Travelers and described plans to expand the ballpark's use for concerts, festivals and community events while negotiating terms with the mayor’s office.
Henry Shepherd, mergers-and-acquisitions and facilities lead for Diamond Baseball Holdings, told the North Little Rock City Council on the night of the meeting that his company is negotiating a long-term lease extension for the Arkansas Travelers and Dickey-Stephens Park and wants to expand the ballpark’s use beyond baseball. "We want to provide the best food and beverage experience in minor league baseball," Shepherd said, adding the company is focused on ticketing, sponsorship activation and "activating this ballpark every single day in any manner we can." Shepherd described plans for concerts, holiday festivals and other nonbaseball events and said the team and ownership view the venue as a public-private partnership with the city.
Why it matters: Shepherd said the Travelers and the ballpark contribute to economic activity in North Little Rock and argued a long-term extension would support development around the stadium and boost hotel and convention business. He estimated the team and facility produce between "10 and 20,000,000 dollars of annual economic impact," and said Diamond Baseball bought the team about a year earlier and has made operational changes to grow attendance.
Shepherd answered council questions on how the company measures impact and on community engagement. He said the organization views itself as a "live entertainment business, not just a baseball business," citing examples such as concerts and the potential to host HBCU classics and high-school events. On community programs, Shepherd said Diamond Baseball’s nonprofit work operates near each ballpark and that the company runs foundations and local initiatives to engage underprivileged communities, provide equipment and offer game access.
Council members asked about contract length and local benefits. Shepherd said Diamond Baseball owns about 45 teams and that "42 play in city owned or publicly owned properties." He said typical renegotiations run "5 to 10 years" when facilities are older and new ballpark contracts are "20 to 30 year" deals. Shepherd and Mayor Hartwick indicated negotiations are ongoing and expected to return to council later this year; Shepherd said Major League Baseball and the Mariners organization were involved in preserving the double-A affiliation in Arkansas. "We're in negotiations, and Major League Baseball is kind of working with us to ensure that we can kind of continue the longevity of double A Seattle Mariners here in Arkansas for, you know, hopefully decades to come," he said.
Council members and residents asked how to book the park. Shepherd directed event inquiries to Sophie Osier, the team’s general manager, and said Diamond Baseball is investing in human capital and resources to expand non-baseball programming. Shepherd also described Diamond Baseball’s real-estate work and said the company evaluates development opportunities around ballparks in multiple markets. He cited a separate announced Louisville project and said local projects depend on securing a long-term, stable presence in the city.
The council did not take a vote on a lease at the meeting. Mayor Hartwick and Shepherd said staff and legal counsel would continue contract negotiations and bring a proposed agreement back to council for consideration later.
