While he avoids specifics, A's president Dave Kaval continues to say the team will announce the location for their new stadium this year.
On Wednesday, the team hired someone with experience operating a brand new stadium.
Chris Giles, the former VP of Sales and Strategy for the 49ers, was named as the new Chief Operating Officer of the A's. According to the A's, Giles "was instrumental in the opening of Levi's Stadium."
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Here are five things to know about Giles:
--- Giles grew up in Clovis near Fresno. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Fresno State in 2004. After four years of working on Wall Street, Giles enrolled at UC Berkeley and earned a Master's Degree.
--- After finishing up at Cal, Giles went to work for the Pac-12 Conference. He held several positions while there, including Special Assistant to the Commissioner and eventually, Director of Business Development.
--- Giles was hired by the 49ers in 2012 as the Director of Business Operations. In 2015, he was promoted to VP of Sales and Strategy, where he oversaw the operation of the then-brand new Levi's Stadium.
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--- In Giles' Twitter bio, he states that he's a singer and songwriter and a "country music lover." So that explains why, according to the Fresno Bee, Giles quit his job with the 49ers to pursue a music career.
“The job was great in that it gave me the financial means to take some time off and focus on things that I find important. I figured if I didn’t try to do the music thing now, there would probably never be another time," Giles told The Fresno Bee.
--- While the A's officially announced Giles' new role on Wednesday, his Linkedin page shows that he's been a Strategic Advisor for the club since March.