Springfield group buys Ballparks of America in Branson

Four Springfield business partners purchased Branson sports attraction Ballparks of America.

Greg Snider, Paul Satterwhite, Dale Helle and Steve Strobel purchased Ballparks of America from founder Hamilton Chang and other investors in the Chicago area. Terms of the deal were not disclosed in a news release.

The $20 million Ballparks of America opened in 2016 at the site of the former Red Roof Mall. It has since produced an estimated $50 million economic impact through tournaments and events, according to the release. The sports complex includes two-third scale replicas of Busch Stadium in St. Louis and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

Satterwhite, a partner at Spencer Fane LLP, and Snider, founder of Ledgestone Capital Management LLC, have experience with Ballparks of America as coaches who played and stayed at the complex’s facilities. Additionally, Helle is CEO of Killian Construction Co., and Strobel is an entrepreneur whose ventures have included Ozarks Entertainment LLC, Jump Mania and Dynamics Gymnastics.

“We are thrilled to build on the foundation created by previous ownership. We will integrate some fresh ideas from our experience of participating in and operating tournaments at Ballparks of America,” Satterwhite said in the release. “Our ownership’s real estate development and construction background will also serve Ballparks well as we focus on optimizing the guest experience.”

Registered teams from more than 25 states and multiple other countries have signed on for Ballparks of America’s summer tournaments, according to the release.

The previous ownership entered a land lease agreement with the city requiring Ballparks of America to pay rent of $2,000 per acre and a percentage of gross receipts, with a cap of $100,000 annually, through June 30, 2049, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

City of Branson spokeswoman Melody Pettit declined to comment on the status of the lease agreement, deferring questions to Ballparks of America officials. Snider could not be reached for comment by deadline.

On 66 acres, Ballparks of America opened with 16 replica fields. It’s home to youth baseball, and teams can stay on campus in suites.