Westfield names new director of Grand Park

Westfield has named a new director for Grand Park Sports Campus.

William Knox, who most recently served as the director of the Hamilton County Sports Authority, starts the position Monday. His last day with the sports authority, which is a division of Hamilton County Tourism Inc., was Thursday.

Knox said he had already announced his resignation from Hamilton County Sports Authority before considering the director job because he planned to start his own company focused on consulting and event management.

He said when he told Westfield officials about his plans, the conversation turned to the open director position at Grand Park.

Ken Alexander, who was the first director of the 400-acre sports park, resigned in August after about 18 months in the position to return to the construction industry.

“It aligned closely in what I was interested in doing,” Knox said of the position. “It was a good fit for now.”

During Alexander’s tenure, he oversaw the construction of the indoor soccer complex known as the Grand Park Events Center and the indoor basketball and volleyball facility, Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse.

Now that construction is complete and those buildings are open, Knox will work more on promoting the park regionally and nationally.

“The infrastructure is in place,” Knox said. “We’re definitely going to shift our focus to the marketing and the branding of the complex.”

Knox joined the Hamilton County Sports Authority in June 2008. Prior to that, he worked for the Hoosier Sports Corp. and Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. He received his bachelor’s degree in sports marketing from Indiana University.

“We’re very excited to have William on our team,” Westfield Chief of Staff Todd Burtron said. “He’s got a great resume; he knows this county. He knows the sports industry.”

Westfield did not provide an exact salary for Knox, but said the pay range for the position is $90,000-$95,000. Alexander was paid $92,210 in 2016 and $91,101 in 2015.