GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins’ front office staff earned several honors from the American Hockey League during its recent meetings in Cleveland and Hilton Head, S.C.

The Griffins’ community relations staff was honored with the AHL’s Community Service Award for Excellence in the Western Conference. The department coordinates several full-team activities with community partners, including the Great Skate Winterfest, Pups and Pucks Fall Walk-a-Thon (Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary), Red, White and Brews (Easter Seals) and Tip-a-Griffin (Griffins Youth Foundation), as well as several year-long endeavors such as Put A Lid On It, Growing With The Griffins and Griff’s Reading Goals. The award was the second for the Griffins’ community relations department in five seasons (2008-09).

Grand Rapids ranked fourth in the AHL in attendance in 2012-13 – celebrating an attendance increase (average per game) for the sixth time in the last seven seasons – and several members of the team’s ticket sales department were recognized for their achievements during the season:

• Season ticket sales and customer service executive Bill Hook ranked first in the Western Conference in new full-season equivalent (FSE) sales;

• Season ticket sales and customer service executive Mike Myeno ranked second in the Western Conference in new FSE sales;

• Social media sales and marketing manager John VanderHaagen finished third in the Western Conference in new FSE sales;

• And group ticket sales manager John Hoffa placed second in the Western Conference in group ticket sales.

The team was also presented with certificates for achieving a 10 percent increase in per-game FSE sales and selling a total of 450 new FSEs.

The awards continue a streak of league recognition for the Griffins, who earned an award for most unique game operations promotion or theme night with the “Purple Game” in 2011-12. The organization also captured the AHL’s Ticket Sales Department of the Year award in 2010-11, and the Western Conference awards for fan experience in 2009-10 and both community service and overall ticket sales growth in 2008-09.