New Panthers owner values community, education
Wes Gee sets the bar high in everything he does.
The 62-year-old Hamilton native recently purchased the Pelham Panthers from long time owner Tim Toffolo and has lofty aspirations for the organization.
“I’m not here to be average and do things the way everyone else does them, because that makes me average,” said Gee, who works as a portfolio manager in Waterloo. “I’ve never got involved in anything I do with the expectation of being average. When I manage money, I don’t manage the way everyone else does because that would put me where everyone else is. If you dare be in the top two per cent, do something different.
“We are daring to be something beyond where we are.”
Gee believes in order to do that, it is essential to put the proper staff in place.
“The secret to running any successful organization is the people you surround yourself with,” he said. “This would be too daunting for any one person to grab the bull by the horns and think they’re going to be smart enough or good enough to think they are going to run this as a one-man show.
“This is a team. In all my other enterprises, it’s always a team. I might be fortunate enough to have my face first on most websites, but I would never be there without the five or 10 faces that follow me. They are the magic. This is not about Wes Gee. It’s about Pelham and the people.”
Gee, whose son Jason Gee is a former Panther, has hired his stepdaughter, Emelie Ficht, as general manager.
“Emily is really passionate because she saw the experience Jason had throughout minor hockey. We think there’s a better way to present the organization. That’s why we’re here.”
Wes Gee is also grateful to have former National Hockey League player Zac Rinaldo as head coach.
“If you want to help kids move up, it’s easy if you have someone who’s already done it, who’s sat in the dressing room, listened to the coaches, who’s then gone to the next level and understands what it takes,” he said. “I have great confidence in the people I have here.”
Wes Gee grew up in Hamilton and spent most of his summers as a youth on the family farm in Smithville. He quickly became enamoured with the town of Pelham during his son’s tenure with the Panthers.
“We believe in the community here. It’s a wonderful place, wonderful arena, but like everything in life, it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to build a winning hockey franchise. It’s not something I can do alone,” Wes Gee said. “That’s why it’s so important for us here not only to be in a nice arena with a great community looking for support, but it’s also the people we have within the organization. They’ve got to have the passion, the desire, the knowledge. That’s what we’re focusing so hard on.”
He feels it is vital to engage the community.
“I look at better teams like St. Catharines, it’s a community effort. I’m not here to reinvent hockey. I’m here to have an open mind and learn from those that do things extremely well and then copy it and have the right types of people.”
Wes Gee’s passion for hockey was ignited as youth when he skated for the Hamilton Kilty B’s as a 15-year-old in the team’s first season in junior B.
He recalls Dr. William McMillan as his first mentor.
“I was fortunate enough that Dr. McMillan wanted to support the community. He started the Hamilton Kilty B’s franchise and it gave me a place to play,” Wes Gee said. “I believe in paying things back. This is a huge time commitment for me and my family but we really think it’s worth it.”
Wes Gee spent two years in the stands watching Jason suit up for the Panthers before purchasing a 50 per cent share in the team.
“I owe (former Pelham coach) Mark Barrick a huge load of gratitude because he took a chance on Jay,” Wes Gee said. “I bought half the organization and it was run by Tim at that time. We then had a discussion to concentrate ownership and here we are.”
Wes Gee feels the wins and losses are only half the story.
“Really, success for us is to bring in 20-23 kids and when they leave through that door be better individuals. That’s our goal,” he said.
He is also a huge supporter of the student-athlete.
“Education is the reason I am sitting here and the reason I can pay back,” he said. “If your goal is OHL or D1 or D3, we can be there for that too.”
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