Sportsplex USA Featured in Santee Magazine

SANTEE
M AGAZINE
Who are these
guys and why
are they on
the cover?
Santee Street Fair
Event map and schedule
New view of Santee
Gillespie Field:
A Brief History
Santee Schools
High Achieving
SPRING 2012
City & Berghoffs hit one out of the park
The Family behind the success of Sportplex USA
by Joan Kling
What is one thing the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
(a.k.a. Chicago’s World Fair) and the City of Santee
have in common? Answer: the Berghoff family. Herman
Joseph Berghoff sold his own
brew at the fair and his third and
fourth generation descendants
operate the Sportsplex USA in
Santee.
When prohibition was repealed in 1933, the City of
Chicago issued its very first liquor license to The Berghoff.
According to the restaurant’s website, no meal at The
Berghoff was complete without
some of the selections that
made it famous such as a
cold stein of Berghoff beer, a
side order of the legendary
creamed spinach or a piece of
freshly baked apple strudel for
dessert.
The rags to riches story began
when Herman Berghoff, at 17
years old, immigrated to America
through Ellis Island in 1870.
The Berghoff family still holds
Soon after he was the victim of
Chicago liquor license No. 1
a pickpocket and lost the little
and Berghoff beer is still sold in
Reprinted with permission from the Berghoff Family Cookbook
money he had. He tried various
Chicago today.
jobs until he started his own
brewery in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. With hopes of exposing
Fast forward to 2012 where you find the 3rd and 4th
his Dortmunder-style beer to a large audience, Herman
generation of Berghoffs, Paul and his son, Bill, established
transported it in large casks on horse drawn wagons to
in Santee as the operators of Sportsplex USA Santee. The
the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893. He sold the beer to fairconcession stand at the Sportsplex coincidentally sells
goers for a nickel and offered a turkey sandwich for free.
beer and turkey sandwiches just like Herman Berghoff did
at the Chicago World’s Fair 119 years ago.
Responding to the wide public acclaim the beer received
at the fair, in 1898, Herman opened the Berghoff Cafe in
Paul Berghoff, an avid sports fan and graduate of
the downtown Loop section of Chicago. He sold a glass of
Michigan State in Hotel and Restaurant Management,
beer for a nickel, a stein for a dime and again sandwiches
loves the San Diego area and had been vacationing
were offered for free. The bar remained open through the
in Coronado with his family for more than 20 years. In
Prohibition Era by selling near-beer and Bergo soda pop. It
1993, his long time friend, Chuck O’Malley, called from
became a full service restaurant and a Chicago landmark
Scottsdale, telling Paul about a sports complex with a
and tradition. The restaurant had two floors, each with its
concession stand that was proposed in Poway. Paul, who
own full kitchen, and seating for 350 diners. It employed
said his fortes and passions are food and investments,
70 waiters and five full-time butchers. In its heyday, the
was interested. With the attitude that “it costs you nothing
restaurant served up to 5,000 meals each day and was
to say no,” Paul looked over the proposal. Paul liked what
the 50th largest restaurant in the country.
he saw and Sportsplex USA Poway opened under his
4
Santee Magazine
Photographs by Bryan Koci
management in 1994 with 17 teams playing softball. Today 1,000 teams play
softball there each year. The complex also has indoor soccer arenas and batting
cages. “We had experienced a home run in Poway,” so when the opportunity
availed itself in Santee, the Berghoffs jumped on it. “The Santee complex is a
mirror of Poway only with newer bells and whistles,” Paul said.
Sportsplex USA Santee is “one of the largest economic drivers to the City of Santee,”
said Deputy Mayor Rob McNelis. “We are proud they are here.”
In exchange for your $2.50 entrance fee, you get a token redeemable for a drink.
But when you walk through the gate, you get much more. It’s like you step back to
a time when things were simpler; it is almost as if the outside world does not exist.
Families fill the park in a circle of life kind of way: parents are watching children play
and children are watching parents play. The atmosphere is alive with excitement.
There’s nothing quite like the sound of a ball hitting a bat, or the thud of a ball
captured in a glove, or the shrill sound of a whistle at a soccer game.
Add the sight of parents volunteering their time to teach children sports that years
before were taught to them by other parents.
Add the smell of hot dogs and the hustle and
bustle of a group of uniformed youth and you
have small town Americana. Much much more
than that, you feel hope and confidence for
the future.
“The complex offers an exceptional venue to recreate at no cost to the City of Santee,”
Bill Berghoff, president, said. In fact, the park pays the City an annual percentage to
lease the land.
“This public-private partnership is the biggest win/win I have ever seen for both the
City and us,” said Paul. “It involves millions of dollars of economic impact to the City
and surrounding business each year, from the restaurants to the gas stations. They all
benefit when we have a tournament in town.”
And tournaments they have. In fact, virtually every weekend they host soccer and/or baseball and softball tournaments,
drawing from the local area and out of the region.
“We are here so people can come and enjoy the surroundings, the great food, and have a fun night out in Santee,”
General Manager Eddie Vandiver said in an earlier article. “We have something for the every day athlete as well as for
the once-a-week athlete.” You don’t have to come with a team intact. “We take free agents.” Paul said. “Come over
– continued on page 29
and talk to us and we’ll place you on a team. We have a waiting list every night.”
Spring 2012
5
Sportsplex
– continued from page 5
Hey, all you single ladies out there! There are lots of
single men at the complex every day. Also jot down
June 16-22, 2012, that’s when Sportsplex USA Santee will
be hosting the softball and indoor soccer portion of the
National Police and Fire Games. Participants from 35
states are expected to attend. This will be the first of a
three-year contract.
Other exciting events coming up in 2012, include
Extreme Sports World Series (boys baseball). And for the
next five years, the complex will host 140 teams for the
Triple Crown Girls 14 and under Fast Pitch World Series.
“Last summer, we hosted the highest level of girls
softball in the world,” said Bill, a graduate of University
of San Diego’s School of Business. This was during the
National Championship Finals for ASA/USA Girls’ GOLD 18
and under Fast Pitch. “We had college scouts looking at
girls from 30 states and contributed to 5,000 hotel room
nights.”
“We are very proud of receiving New Business of
the Year from the Santee Chamber of Commerce
and Business of the Year from the East County Regional
Chamber of Commerce.”
“We have a really hard-working crew. Where else can
you find adults playing softball until 11 p.m. on Friday
night and the fields ready for a two-day youth baseball
tournament at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. Followed by
another switch back to adult softball on Sunday night.”
The complex also has the capacity to host corporate
event such as company picnics, team building and retreats.
They have hosted many companies including Qualcomm,
American Airlines, Hawthorne Machinery, Hewlett Packard,
Cox Communications, Sony, Sea World, General Motors,
Coca Cola, and Petco.
I stopped by on a recent Friday night to take in the
experience once again. In honor of Herman Joseph
Berghoff at the Chicago World’s Fair, I ate a turkey
sandwich and ordered a beer for my friend.
For a dollar more, I added some tater tots in
remembrance of my mother on meatless Fridays years
ago. We sat and watched a man from the adult softball
league hit a two run homerun as his wife cheered and his
children jumped up and down. Yeah, life is good in Santee.
Four Reasons to Locate Your Business in Santee
• CONVENIENT ACCESS: With direct access to three freeways (SR52, SR67, and SR125) and 5-minute access to Interstate-8,
Santee is located just 20 minutes from the beaches and silicon businesses of La Jolla/Sorrento Valley or 25 minutes to
downtown San Diego and South County. Santee Transit Center also provides Trolley service to SDSU, Mission Valley and
Old Town/San Diego, or take the Trolley downtown one station away.
• ECONOMIC STABILITY: Santee has the 7th highest median household income and the 7th lowest unemployment rate
in the region, with over 70% of homes owner occupied, and two-thirds of the housing stock comprised of single-family
homes. Santee’s ten largest retail centers have less than 5% vacancy, and have stayed below 5% throughout the
recession. There are 126 national chains and regional retailers, with a net gain of ten national/regional chains since
2008. The City prides itself on having family-based neighborhoods, high-performing schools, and one of the lowest
crime rates in the region.
• BUSINESS FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT: The City takes a pro-active and supportive approach in dealing with businesses,
developers and contractors. Both the City of Santee and the Santee Chamber have partnered on several programs
to assist local businesses, including sponsoring business workshops and job fairs. Local businesses can access free
technical assistance from the Small Business Development Center and the Santee Contracting Opportunities Center.
• FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL: Santee offers unparalleled opportunities for corporate growth and expansion -- access
to regional freeways, available land, skilled labor force, and high-profile demographics. Sportsplex USA opened last
year and is drawing up to 350,000 visitors annually with major tournaments and events. San Diego Christian College
is relocating their 500-enrollment college campus to Santee over the next 14 months, with expansion plans for up to
1,200 students. Another major employer is slated for the downtown area in the next few months, and Santee will soon
be welcoming Chipotle’s, Phil’s BBQ, Buffalo Wild Wings, In N Out, and Chick fil-A.
Spring 2012
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