Andy Ballard has 20+ years of expertise in facility operations, strategic planning, staff management, sales, marketing, branding, expense controls, and business evaluation. Andy has done sports consulting nationally and specializes in the growth and rehabilitation of businesses. Andy has taken 6 different businesses from losing money annually, to sustainable year over year cash and has opened 4 facilities and been a part of countless facility improvement projects. As part of his 10 years with the YMCA, he took YMCA Camp Silver Beach from 800 campers to over 2,000 campers. Andy helped open the Virginia Beach Field House, at the time the largest indoor facility under ESM, and reached $3 million in the first year.  At United Sports Training Center, Andy took a descending NOI from $386,000 low to a now $1.6mm high.  Andy is on the Liberty University  Sports Management Advisory Board and serves in an advisory role for several facilities.  Andy also led the start of ESM’s nonprofit leg “Play On” with the goal to provide access to sport and activity to 5,000,000 individuals and have 20,000,000 visits by 2030. 

Andy received his MBA from Radford University and his B.S. in Sport Management from Liberty University, one of the nation’s first accredited sport management programs. Andy has experience running sports facilities that are non-profit, for profit, start-ups and rehabilitations. His ability to manage and motivate people effectively allowed him to advance to the VP position within 3 years with the company.

Andy’s life has been greatly impacted by sports. He has played basketball, baseball and football at various levels.
Andy has a career commitment to serving communities through sports. Sports have been a critical piece of Andy’s growth and development as a child and he credits sports with providing much needed structure and distraction from negative influences. Andy hopes to continue passing on these healthy lifestyle habits in the most important part of his life, his family.

MBA, Radford University

BS, Liberty University