Meet Chase & Emily from Raleigh Red Oaks

Tell us about your business! What inspired you to start it?

We are a collegiate summer league baseball team based in Raleigh! Our team is made up of college players and coaches from all over the area, and a few from outside the area. The primary purpose of summer baseball is for players to get additional practice in preparation for their upcoming college seasons and to get exposure. Summer ball is competitive, however, it is also meant to be fun – both for the players and for the fans! As for the inspiration piece: my wife and I (and our two small boys), are new to the Raleigh area. We were looking for an opportunity to get more involved in the community and provide a new entertainment option over the summer for kids and their families. Raleigh is one of the best baseball cities in the country, so when the opportunity to acquire the only college summer ball team based in the city of Raleigh became available, we felt like it was the perfect opportunity to do what we were seeking: create fun, family-friendly events for the community around competitive college baseball. And that is our mission statement: Great baseball, For Raleigh. The idea being we prioritize building a high-quality product on the field that the fans can be proud of and excited about, and a game-day experience that recognizes and celebrates Raleigh, the people, groups, organizations and businesses. We are only starting to build out this vision, but we believe that once fans start to come to the games and organizations start to partner with us and see who we are and how fun games will be, the momentum will be impossible to slow down!

How has the community played a role in your business journey?

The community is central to our vision: Great Baseball, For Raleigh. We have no doubt that the team on the field will be competitive, fun to watch and even better people off of the field. But the only way this team can be truly successful and deliver on our vision is to become integral to the local Raleigh community. We have built a strong relationship with City of Raleigh Youth Sports, the intent being to have extensive involvement with youth athletes throughout the season. This includes recognizing teams and players at every game, having kids be bat boys and girls, meet the players, get autographs, etc. We will also have local high school and college students on our staff as interns helping to run the games and interact with the fans. And our goal is to build partnerships with organizations and businesses throughout the season in order to become a forum for engagement between those organizations and the community – all around a fun and exciting baseball game! We will also have food trucks and other local vendors at every home game! If anyone reading this is a business owner or manager and looking for a fun way to engage with the community, give us a call!

What;s something most people don’t know about your business?

Given we are so new (this will be our first season under our ownership and the Red Oaks team name), I am sure most people don’t know anything about our business and team! A few things people should know about us: We play our games throughout the month of June and July at Optimist Park in North Raleigh. Kids under ten are FREE! We will have food trucks and other local vendors at every game. And most importantly, our mission to be Great Baseball, For Raleigh. Raleigh residents have many options for entertainment, we hope to become another event that is top-of-mind for families looking for some fun and excitement!

What’s the best part of running a business in NC?

We are probably unique because we are not from the Raleigh area or North Carolina. But we did do a lot of research and talked to a lot of people who are from the area prior to buying the Red Oaks, and the decision became a no brainer. Our goal is to become a part of the community; not just the baseball community, but the entire Raleigh community. Raleigh is an incredible baseball town, but more importantly it is an incredible city with energy, growth and diversity. That is what we want to be a part of, and that is what we want the Red Oaks to represent.

What is one challenge you’ve faced as a local business owner, and how did you overcome it

Our biggest challenge right now is awareness. We are new and we are small; we play at Optimist Park, which is a beautiful field to watch a game, but it is also a little outside of downtown; our season is only two months out of the year (June & July) and all at night, and our team is made up of college kids. If you don’t know one of the players or their families, it is unlikely that you know who the Red Oaks are. So our focus leading up to the season is spreading the word of who we are and what our vision is. How we plan to do that is to meet people, get involved in the community and prove that a Red Oaks game is an affordable, fun, family-friendly summer event!

What is the best way for people to connect with you?

All of the above! Follow us on our social channels @Raleighredoaks, check-out our website, and come to a game this summer!

Why we love featuring Raleigh Red Oaks: This is one of the amazing Raleigh small businesses that adds so much to our community. If you’re looking for things to do in Raleigh, stories that inspire, or want to support Raleigh business owners, Raleigh Red Oaks is one of our favorite hidden gems in North Carolina.