GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday announced the hiring of Brandon Nelson as the director of game presentation and Mitchell Hoffman as the corporate partnerships fulfillment coordinator.

A Peoria, Ill., native, Nelson comes to the Griffins after working as the director of game operations and community relations for the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings the last two-plus seasons. During his time in Kalamazoo, the Wings were a 2017-18 ECHL Game Operations of the Year nominee and became the first minor league sports team to obtain a licensing agreement from the Grateful Dead. In his new role with Grand Rapids, Nelson will be responsible for coordinating the season’s promotional and giveaway schedule as well as directing game presentations.

Nelson has also held positions with the St. Louis Cardinals, Peoria Chiefs and Peoria Rivermen and has worked over 1,250 professional games in an operations or presentation capacity after beginning his sports career as a mascot. He earned a marketing degree from Bradley University in 2010.

Hoffman joins the Griffins on a full-time basis after serving as a corporate sales intern to begin the 2018-19 season. In his position, he will assist the corporate sales department by executing sponsorship agreements and managing the Griffins Kids Club.

A native of Spring Lake, Mich., Hoffman graduated from Grand Valley State University in December 2018 with a degree in sports management.