Steltenpohl testimonials

“Where do I begin? Let me put it this way, from the perspective of the sports commission, Rick Steltenpohl has always been the role model that we’ve used in helping individuals understand what it takes to be successful in event management. His commitment to Hoopfest is really what led to it realizing its vision of what its become.”

Eric Sawyer,

Executive Director, Spokane Regional Sports Commission

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“Ultimately, people in Spokane are going to lose a friend. When I think about it, I think, ‘hey, I’m losing a great friend.’ If I moved away and took my family with me, there might be one or two people who would miss us. When Rick moves away, there are going to be hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people who will sit back and say ‘I’m losing a great friend.’ “

Rick Betts,

Hoopfest founder and board member

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“He’s been a great steward of that event, and really continued to build it over the years. We admire all kinds of things about it. With the activities going on all weekend, that’s a real challenge. Given that position, there’s a lot of knowledge that’s stored up in the head and, no matter how hard you try to put it down on paper and pass the baton, it’s hard to do. I think we’ll miss him.”

Don Kardong,

Bloomsday founder and race director

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“The things I’ve always been impressed by are his commitment and passion; not only for what he does, but for the community of Spokane. We are going to lose a real strong ambassador, an advocate for Spokane in general. He embraced the community in whatever he did. He’s one of those folks who gets excited, I guess passionate is the best word, by whatever he did. It’s a pleasure to work with someone like that, who is always looking at the positive side, is always looking at how the community might stretch itself and improve. And what could he bring, obviously in the area of Hoopfest, to the community. As a city and as a parks department, it will be hard to replace someone who has that commitment, passion and drive in what he does.”

Mike Stone,

City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Director