Akron RubberDucks’ Ken Babby on 7 17 Credit Union naming rights deal
Ken Babby, owner and CEO of the Akron RubberDucks, discusses partnering with 7 17 Credit Union on the naming rights deal for the baseball stadium.
They haven’t been Minor League Baseball franchise owners long enough to possess a track record, but the duo taking the helm of the Akron RubberDucks has come out swinging for the fences.
Prospector Baseball Group (PBG) entered the scene this fall when it purchased a Pennsylvania Class AAA team, the Lancaster Stormers. The partners shared their plan Oct. 30 to acquire as many as 15 Minor League teams. They’re already up to three with the Dec. 9 announcement of their acquisition of the Class AA RubberDucks and Class AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp — both sold to them by Ken Babby.
The resumes of PBG co-founders John Abbamondi and Ben Boyer don’t show obvious ties to the Akron area. According to LancasterOnline, Abbamondi lives in Brooklyn and Boyer in Park City, Utah; the two met in business school and have been friends for “a couple of decades,” Boyer said.
When the PBG partners unveiled their venture, they said Abbamondi will take the lead on the baseball side of the business and Boyer will serve as the organization’s technology expert.
Abbamondi is a former Navy pilot who flew more than 40 combat missions over Iraq and has deep executive experience in pro sports and entertainment, according to his biography with alwaysAI, where he serves on its advisory board.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as CEO of BSE Global, the parent company of the NBA’s Brookyln Nets. He stepped down from that role in 2022.
His bio also mentions stints as executive vice president at The Madison Square Garden Co., senior vice president of team marketing and business operations at the NBA and eight years in Major League Baseball — including three seasons as the assistant general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals as well as executive positions with the San Diego Padres and the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.
Boyer’s resume on LinkedIn mentions involvement in and “successful exits” from a dizzying list of tech companies — including Lyft and Eventbrite — as well as a handful of active investments.
He notes, “In 2024, I co-founded Honor Pet. Honor Honor Pet is your modern, thoughtful alternative for pet end-of-life care. We are on a mission to reinvent death care services for pet owners, providing compassionate and personalized support during one of life’s most challenging moments.”