GM on board for Albany Civic Center, Albany Municipal Auditorium, Veterans Park Amphitheater

ALBANY —The city of Albany chose to announce Monday that Josh Small has been named general manager of the Albany Civic Center, the Albany Municipal Auditorium and Veterans Park Amphitheater now that those storied venues are under the management of Philadelphia-based Spectra by Comcast Spectacor.

But, make no mistake, Small is well-acquainted with the operations of the Albany venues.

“Things are still in transition as far as our working partnership with the city, but I’ve actually been on the job since May 1,” Small said Monday afternoon. “There was a decision made to make sure we had things set up before publishing this information. But we’ve been here a month now, working alongside city officials to evaluate and make sure our priorities are aligned.”

Small came to Albany from his position as general manager of the University of South Carolina-Aiken Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from North Carolina State University.

A native of Hendersonville, N.C., Small began his career in the sports and entertainment industry more than 12 years ago as an intern at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. He has been promoted several times, recently serving as director of facilities at Augusta Entertainment Complex and at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center.

“When I heard about the opportunity in Albany, I was very excited about coming here,” Small said. “I had been to Albany a few times, and it seemed like a very good opportunity. The city has been doing a good job of running the facilities here; what we’ll be trying to do is build on what the city’s been doing.

“I’m excited to move my family to Albany and get started in my role as GM of the Civic Center. Every community member I’ve met has been extremely welcoming and has made me feel at home.”

Small, through the city, announced Monday that WWE wrestling would return to the Civic Center on Aug. 5. Tickets for that event go on sale Friday.

“I’m pleased that Spectra has selected an experienced manager for our Albany locations,” Albany City Manager Sharon Subadan said. “This represents a strong start, and I’m anticipating great things from Josh.”

Officials with Spectra, which operates facilities in Macon, Savannah, Augusta, Tallahassee, Fla. and other regional venues, said there are “growth opportunities” associated with the Albany venues.

“We are thrilled that our partnership with the Good Life City has come to fruition, and that Josh will be leading the charge,” Trent Merritt, regional vice president for Spectra, said. “There are significant growth opportunities across the three venues. We look forward to developing these opportunities, becoming a great community partner and bringing more events to the region.”

Small said he plans to move to Albany with his wife and their two children.

“We are definitely open for business,” he said. “We were brought in to increase the number of events at these venues, and we have begun the booking process. We’re going to do our research and figure out the kinds of events this region is looking for and will support, and we’re going to bring those events here.”

Jennifer Parks contributed to this article.

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