GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. The Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League on Wednesday announced the hiring of Mike Appel and Melissa Oliver as ticket sales account executives.

Appel, a native of Sturgis, Mich., came to the Griffins from arena concessionaire Centerplate, where he had served as a warehouse supervisor at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids and a concession manager at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. A 2004 graduate of Aquinas College, he majored in business administration and sports management and ran on the cross-country and track teams.

Oliver graduated last month from Ball State University, where she earned a degree in sports administration while playing volleyball on scholarship and working as a marketing intern for the athletic department. She is originally from the Chicago suburb of Palatine.