Somerset Patriots Hire Their 2016 Kid CEO

Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots and their partners at Spearhead Staffing have hired 11-year old Neelesh Thanasegaran of Warren as the 2016 Kid CEO.

Neelesh was one of six children that were chosen at Patriots Fan Fest in April for a final interview on the field before the Friday, May 13^th game. He was the last of the finalists to address the crowd in the pre-game program, with the hiring announcement made during the middle of the third inning down on the field.

“I was so excited I wanted to jump up and down, but I wanted to be respectful to all the other great finalists,” Neelesh said minutes after hearing his named announced as the winner. “It took about a week or so after Fan Fest for me to think about everything. Then I sat down, wrote the speech and practiced it a lot.”

During his speech in front of all the spectators, including his mother Bremini and father Thanasegaran, Neelesh spoke about being a big baseball fan, coming to the ballpark since he was five years old and how the Somerset Patriots are his all-time favorite team.

Neelesh was also a finalist for last year’s Kid CEO and proved that perseverance and hard work can help you achieve your goals.

“I’m very excited for him. He was very confident and worked hard. He told me that he was going to go out there and win this time. He’s very smart and we are proud of him,” said his smiling father.

Neelesh wants to pursue a career in either baseball or cricket when he grows up. In the meantime, he is focusing on his favorite school subjects – math and science – and his hobbies that include photography, coin and card collecting and reading.

Doug Bryson, the President of Spearhead Staffing was among the handful of judges that helped hire Neelesh. He was joined by two previous Patriots Kid CEO’s- Jonathan Daneyka and Steven DiMaria, both of whom went on to become game day staffers for the team during the season.

“You can tell that all the contestants love the Patriots and they actually did some research to come up with what they would want to accomplish if they were selected as the Kid CEO,” said Bryson. “I think Neelesh was one of the best ones in terms of what he would bring to the table and his experience.”

This is the second season that Spearhead Staffing has partnered with the Somerset Patriots to hire a Kid CEO.

“We had such a great time doing it last season. A lot of times people are looking to do promotions just to get their company’s name out there. I think this is a good one because it marries Spearhead Staffing with a great pillar of the community in the Somerset Patriots. At the same time we get to work collaboratively with the Patriots to bring some excitement to local children looking to fill the position,” remarked Bryson.

As Kid CEO, Neelesh will follow front office staff members during the games to learn about ticketing, merchandising, promotions, media, marketing and ballpark operations. He will sit in on Patriots staff meetings and write about the experiences he has in the position. Neelesh will also receive a personalized Somerset Patriots jersey, tickets to five games, a ceremonial first pitch for a game, and a meet and greet with Sparky Lyle and the players.

“I’m looking forward to doing everything the staff here does so hopefully I get to do it in the future as my job,” Neelesh said, while also stating that he is most looking forward to learning about the broadcasting of games.

This is the seventh time that the team has hired a Kid CEO. Fans will be able to follow Neelesh’s progress at the ballpark, on-line at www.somersetpatriots.com and video segments showcasing his time as Kid CEO.

“We are happy for Neelesh and are looking forward to working with him to teach him the ins-and-outs of the business of baseball. I think we would have been lucky to have any of the finalists join our staff this summer. It’s always tough to pick just one person, especially with the great kids that made it to the final round this year. Neelesh just stood out a fraction more and that helped him get the position, ” said Somerset Patriots President/General Manager Patrick McVerry.

Spearhead Staffing is an award winning IT staffing company privately held and headquartered in the New York metropolitan area. Spearhead Staffing specializes in the Life Sciences industries such as Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Biotechnology.  Spearhead Staffing aggressively sources talented professionals that combine years of valuable industry experience and domain knowledge with certified vendor training. Utilizing their proven RightHire Recruiting Process, Spearhead Staffing reduces the risk associated with hiring and identify the best person for each company’s culture and skill needs.

The 2016 Somerset Patriots Season Presented By Ford is underway. For more information or to purchase tickets for the 2016 season, stop by TD Bank Ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.

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