Mike Crawford is the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and its subsidiaries, including Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, which he joined in December of 2018. An Ohio native, he holds an undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He brings to both companies demonstrated leadership experience from his development of retail and dining establishments, hotels, theme parks, and entertainment destinations around the world. His tremendous success at both the Walt Disney Company and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Company make him an extremely capable and qualified executive.
Mr. Crawford spent almost 25 years at the Walt Disney Company. He rose to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Shanghai Disney Resort and President of Shanghai’s Walt Disney Holdings Company. Mr. Crawford led the negotiation and multibillion-dollar development of Shanghai Disney Resort from 2007-2014. As General Manager of Shanghai Disney, Mr. Crawford led a talented team throughout the formation of the company and development of the new destination resort. He also managed relationships with the resort’s local business partners, community and government leaders, and industry experts supporting the new venture in Disney’s portfolio.
Prior to leading Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, Mr. Crawford spent four years with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Company. He started as President of Asia Pacific and went on to become Global President of Portfolio Management. While at Four Seasons, Mr. Crawford led a company repositioning effort in Asia and oversaw all hotel development and operations for the region. As President of Portfolio Management, he held responsibility for business and capital planning, along with the design and construction of all new Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Mr. Crawford also oversaw the growth of the Four Seasons branded residential business with $10B of forecasted real estate sales over a five-year planning period. Mr. Crawford’s extensive industry experience and Ohio roots make him the perfect fit to lead Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and spearhead the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls project.
Mr. Crawford also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Texas Roadhouse. Mike Crawford and his fiancée, Kim, enjoy traveling, hiking, playing golf, and spending time with Mike’s daughter, Kaitlin, who recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
Anne Graffice joined Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs in December 2019.
In this role, Ms. Graffice oversees community, investor, media and government relations, and manages all corporate social responsibility initiatives for the Company. Ms. Graffice is responsible for furthering several of HOFV’s strategic goals, including driving wide-ranging fundraising efforts, supporting diversity planning, and promoting the Company’s mission and value proposition to investors, consumers, and the media, as well as the broader public. Ms. Graffice serves as a key voice representing HOFV when working with municipal, provincial and federal authorities, and is the Company’s primary investor relations contact. In July 2020, Ms. Graffice was a key component of the transaction that made Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company public through a merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company.
Previously, Ms. Graffice successfully served in a similar role at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which she joined in May 2016 as Vice President of Development & Strategic Adventures. She served as the Hall’s primary corporate and community relations contact, and oversaw diversity programs and policies; controlled development and engagement for the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls; and developed programming for the Center for Excellence.
Prior to that, Ms. Graffice served as Executive Director of Alumni Engagement at the University of Mount Union, and was responsible for a departmental budget and endowment fund of over $200 million, as well as helping the university secure $25 million through an 18-month campaign. She has also served as Chairperson of the Stark County Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she focused on driving economic development in the region through tourism initiatives. She also sits on the Boards of the Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter, Alliance Chamber of Commerce and St. Thomas Aquinas Board of Directors, and is a volunteer at the Alliance Food Pantry.
Ms. Graffice previously spent nearly a decade in wealth management and long-term retirement planning. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Mount Union College and a Master of Business Administration with a leadership concentration from Tiffin University.
Ms. Graffice and her husband Jeff live in Alliance, Ohio and are the proud parents of two daughters.
I hope we were all able to enjoy a great Labor Day weekend with family and friends. Our Friday open-air lunch meeting continued to build on the previous week's success, with 17 fellow Rotarians enjoying conversations, enjoying the weather, and participating in the Zoom feed while practicing responsible physical distancing. This was a 283% increase in participation over the prior week. (Yes, Mr. Taylor, my calculations are correct!). Even though we didn't hit our goal of 20 participants, we were so close that I did make sure that we had a desert to reward those who attended. Thanks again to Fritz Spring for securing the pavilion and providing our box lunches.
This week we will be moving our meeting to the Lake Cable pavilion in Jackson Township, with box lunches provided by Jersey Mike's. You will want to enjoy the view of the lake while you get caught up with your fellow Rotarians.
Please make sure to email me, President Elect Mark Clendenin at plan42morrow@gmail.com or text me at 330-267-8869 no later than Wednesday evening so the proper number of lunches can be ordered on Thursday. Along with your RSVP please identify your choice of sandwich below:
Ham and Provolone Lunch Box
Turkey and Provolone Lunch Box
Each meal will come with a bag of chips, drink, and a chocolate chip cookie.
I'll collect $12.00 cash from you on Friday at the meeting.
At our Zoom meeting on September 4, 2020, President Drew Pelger opened the meeting by welcoming 28 Canton Rotarians, plus guests: Ed Murray; and our speaker Allyson Bussey.
President Drew who was filling in for our secretary, Paula Mastroianni, presented some interesting historical facts for the day.
President Drew also received "Happy Bucks" from James Boggs, Chris Burt, Becky Clark, Bruce Schorsten, Paul Hervey and Mark Clendenin.
Announcements:
President Drew thanked Fritz Spring and Mark Clendenin for their help with the in-person Rotary meetings.
Past President Michelle Charles welcomed our guests and our speaker, Allyson Bussey, President Visit Canton, Stark County Convention & Visitors' Bureau, who spoke on "Learning to Pivot".
Next Week's Speaker will be Michael Crawford, President & CEO for both the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and its subsidiary, Hall of Fame Village Powered by Johnson Controls & Anne Graffice, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the Hall of Fame Resort and Entertainment Company - "It takes a Village to build a Village; an update on the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls"
Our Annual Massillon-McKinley Meeting with the Canton and Massillon Rotary Clubs will be held in-person at the Massillon Eagles Club #190 on Thursday, Oct. 1.
In September, you will see some exciting changes to Rotary's flagship magazine. After nearly 110 years, The Rotarian is now called Rotary, a name that recognizes the breadth of the organization’s membership — especially the Rotaractors who represent Rotary’s future. In addition, the name change supports the organization’s strategic goal of growing awareness of Rotary and strengthening our global brand. And as Rotary, the organization’s flagship publication better aligns with the 33 regional magazines published around the world.
Our redesign didn’t stop at the cover. Inside, we’ve rethought everything with the goal of better reflecting Rotary’s energy and diversity. We worked hard to incorporate the old and new elements into an overall design that enlivens the reading experience and engages as it informs. You will notice more call-outs and more numbers; more charts, graphs, and infographics.
Last fall, when The Rotarian talked with Holger Knaack, we wondered what Rotary might anticipate from his presidency. “Expect something different,” he replied. In the months and years ahead, expect exactly that from Rotary: something different — and yet, in the quality of the writing, in our focus on the great achievements of Rotarians and their clubs, and in our celebration of the values that have sustained Rotary since 1905, something entirely the same.
In September, for the third year in a row, Districts 6600, 6630 and 6650 have come together to offer an exciting membership program, to help us engage and energize our members.
This year there will be 2- two hour meetings (on Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 23) in the early evening (6 to 8 PM). You can attend either or both meetings via Zoom at no cost. Past Rotary International President Barry Rassin (2018-2019), will be the speaker for the September 15th training session and District 6690 Membership Chair Jenny Stotts from RC of Athens Sunrise, Ohio, will be the September 23rd speaker.
You will have a choice of four breakout sessions on each night. You can attend one breakout session in each of the two meetings. The sessions are:
Keeping Clubs Vital
Making Rotary Work
Sharing the Joy of Rotary
Building on your Momentum
To view more information on these workshops and to register, click on this LINK!
In order to make contributing to the club easy during this time of social separation, we have recently added a “Make a Donation” link to our club website at www.cantonrotary.org. By clicking this link, you will be able to quickly and easily make a contribution to the club, via credit or debit card.
Integrated with our Clubrunner system, this is a safe and secure link. Please consider a donation today!
Mike Crawford is the Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer for Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company and its subsidiaries, including Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls, which he joined in December of 2018. An Ohio native, he holds an undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He brings to both companies demonstrated leadership experience from his development of retail and dining establishments, hotels, theme parks, and entertainment destinations around the world. His tremendous success at both the Walt Disney Company and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Company make him an extremely capable and qualified executive.
Anne Graffice joined Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: HOFV, HOFVW) as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs in December 2019.
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In September, you will see some exciting changes to Rotary's flagship magazine. After nearly 110 years, The Rotarian is now called Rotary, a name that recognizes the breadth of the organization’s membership — especially the Rotaractors who represent Rotary’s future. In addition, the name change supports the organization’s strategic goal of growing awareness of Rotary and strengthening our global brand. And as Rotary, the organization’s flagship publication better aligns with the 33 regional magazines published around the world.
