L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY I t's Italian Heritage N i g h t a t O r a c l e P a r k , a n e v e n i n g when the traditional black and orange col- ors of the San Francisco Giants mix up with the Ital- ian tricolore. Fans and baseball lovers o u t s i d e t h e s t a d i u m a r e ready to see their team take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Stephen Revetria walks around and says "hi" while people take their seats, ready to watch the opening of the game. Among them, repre- sentatives and members of Italian organizations from the Bay Area have also come t o g e t h e r t o c e l e b r a t e t h e richness of San Francisco Italian culture while enjoying entertainment, music, food, and showing off their Italian pride. When we meet President Revetria, he is about to wel- come Consul General Ser- gio Strozzi, as he just con- cluded his interview on the field presenting Innovit, the Italian cultural and innova- tion hub, and Vice Consul Davide Corriero, who was part of the ceremonial first pitch. Stephen Revetria is the President of Giants Enter- prises and leads the strategy and vision of this big organi- zation. He is responsible for d e v e l o p i n g n e w v e n t u r e s complimentary to this Major League Baseball franchise and raising the profile of San F r a n c i s c o ' s O r a c l e P a r k . "One of the greatest things that I can do through my job is to connect people," Presi- dent Revetria tells us. "While baseball is a very big part of what we do here at the Ora- cle Park, we run many other initiatives that are beyond sports itself. That's where my career really has developed over time, through concerts and events, as well as other sports, like the World Cup Rugby and Rugby Sevens. That's the moment when you bring international visitors to San Francisco and share a piece of America with them. It's what I get to do every day, and I have been doing it for the last 25 years." A quarter of a century, c o u n t l e s s a c h i e v e m e n t s : n e w b a l l p a r k v e n u e s l i k e Pier 48, The Gotham Club, and Giants Maritime Ser- v i c e s ; a n e x p a n s i v e f a n engagement programming and the curation of larger- t h a n - l i f e e x p e r i e n c e s f o r millions of guests; interna- tional recognition for its exe- c u t i o n a n d p r o g r a m m i n g d u r i n g t h e 2 0 0 7 A l l - S t a r Game and the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series. Curious to know if Presi- dent Revetria remembers the first day on the job? The a n s w e r m i g h t b e e a s y t o guess, but there's more to it: "The end of the 1990s was an interesting time in San Francisco and this ballpark was the first privately built stadium in the country in decades. They were building it and, when I was hired in 1999, I was asked to figure o u t h o w t o m o n e t i z e a n d commercialize the facility, and find other ways to use the stadium beyond base- ball. When I walked into the ballpark, it was just raw con- struction with the opening date set for April 2000." President Revetria came to the job being already a leader in the meetings and events industry. Yet, his first task was to explore some key areas: what do we do beyond hosting eighty Giants games a year? How do we fill the rest of the calendar? Which events do you want to orga- nize? "The SF Giants created and committed to a new role which is now common for many teams," he shares. "It wasn't at that time though, as that kind of work did not e x i s t p r e v i o u s l y i n a n y sports. I am grateful for the opportunity as I also wit- nessed the changes in this neighborhood, which looked e n t i r e l y d i f f e r e n t . I a m happy to have contributed, together with my team, in c r e a t i n g t h i s c o m m u n i t y over the years," he contin- ues. A Bay Area native, part of an Italian American house- hold, and a graduate of the University of San Francisco, President Revetria is also a trustee of numerous boards, i n c l u d i n g t h e E x e c u t i v e Committee of the US Travel Association and the Golden Gate National Parks Conser- vancy. In March 2024, Reve- tria was appointed by Gover- nor Gavin Newsom to serve on the California Travel and Tourism Commission and, since 2022, he has been on t h e G o v e r n o r ' s A d v i s o r y Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being. For some people working in the industry, baseball may be part of their childhood; for others, it may be some- thing completely new. Presi- dent Revetria belongs to the first category: "I certainly grew up as a child playing b a s e b a l l ; n e v e r t h e l e s s , I never saw it as a career. My background was in hospitali- t y m a r k e t i n g a n d t h a t ' s where I thought I would be for a long time. Being part of this organization has been magic because it also reflects my civic-minded being. As an organization, we believe in the community and our heritage nights are just an example of it. These events have evolved to reflect how the Bay Area has changed to b r i n g m a n y n a t i o n a l i t i e s together. We thought of our ballpark as a town square where it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from: everybody can meet, get food and drinks, feel wel- c o m e d , a n d k n o w t h e y belong in this space". Italian Heritage Night has already had many editions and perfectly fits this view: "People and organizations attend the game with the spirit of being part of the full experience for one night, putting together community and sports. We try to bring in community leaders who share their stories and have s o m e f u n . I t ' s b u i l d i n g a c o m m u n i t y o f p e o p l e around baseball in a familiar venue. Also, we want every- body to celebrate their team and be respectful. This is s o m e t h i n g t h a t I ' v e b e e n working on with the Vatican and Pope Francis, an initia- tive called Sport at the Ser- v i c e o f H u m a n i t y , w h i c h allows people to celebrate their sport on the field and in a safe competitive way." We asked President Reve- t r i a w h a t h i s c o n n e c t i o n with baseball, as an Italian American, was while grow- ing up: "Joe Di Maggio was a big deal here in San Fran- cisco. When my great-grand- parents came to San Fran- cisco a century ago, there wasn't a baseball team. The Giants started in 1958 and, as they tried to assimilate and become more Ameri- c a n i z e d , m y g r a n d f a t h e r enjoyed watching it on TV. It was, for Italian Americans, a way to connect with the local community." Half of the season is gone and the main hope, from a pure sports perspective, is that the SF Giants make it to the postseason and the play- offs. When it comes to plan- ning for the future of the Giants Enterprise, President Revetria is keen on "con- necting and engaging youth to baseball. It is a positive sport and can also help with mental health. Physical and mental well-being has never been more important and I'd like to see more young peo- ple being involved in these activities. At the end of the day, I hope we can get youth outside and participate in s p o r t s . T h e s p o r t t h e y choose doesn't really matter to me." SERENA PERFETTO How Stephen Revetria and Giants Enterprises empower local communities through baseball and special events Stephen Revetria has been with Giants Enterprises for 25 years (Photo courtesy of Giants Enterprises)

• Cover