Merger of these Wichita sports organizations didn’t work, but their new spaces do

For a time, the National Baseball Congress Foundation and the Wichita Sports Commission merged operations and shared one space, but as of this year, the two once again are separate organizations in separate spaces.

The NBC just moved into Clifton Square in College Hill, and the sports commission moved into 250 Douglas Place at the Garvey Center downtown in February.

“Basically, neither organization was getting the attention and focus that they needed to truly survive and be successful at a higher level,” said Kevin Jenks, the commission’s president and CEO.

Or, to put it more simply, he said, “I felt like neither organization was getting the love and attention that they really deserve.”

Jenks should know, because he’s also the NBC’s former director, and he was involved in discussions to merge the groups in 2019.

“It seemed very logical,” he said. “Our boards were similar with each other at the time.”

The merger happened in 2020.

However, the sports commission focuses on Wichita sporting events, and NBC executive director Katie Woods said the NBC has a national reach and needed to focus exclusively on baseball throughout the year to build relationships and community programs.

She said having a storefront is important to the organization, too.

When it and the sports commission were in Old Town, they were off an alley.

“We didn’t have a place where people could just walk in,” Woods said.

She said it’s important to the NBC to be part of the community and open to the public.

Now, at Clifton Square at 3700 E. Douglas, the NBC is in about 1,100 square feet just east of Dempsey’s Burger Pub.

“It doesn’t get much more community-centric than that,” Woods said.

She’s also director for the NBC World Series, and Woods said there will now be a retail area within the office for some tournament-related T-shirts and other items, including stickers from Heartlandia.

There are some history displays as well.

Stephanie Wise of Commercial Collective handled the deal for the Clifton Square space.

There’s going to be a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. Wednesday and open houses from 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday where visitors can tour the space and enjoy ballpark snacks.

Jenks said splitting the organizations back into two separate entities, each with its own space, was the right thing to do.

“In a very short period of time, it’s had a great impact.”

He said the 3,600-square-foot Garvey Center space also allows for bigger meetings and on-site storage.

Jenks said the NBC and the legacy of Hap Dumont — for whom the former Lawrence-Dumont Stadium was named and where the first NBC tournament was held and its World Series final is returning — still are important to the sports commission.

Woods said the amicable split is good for both groups. She also said now being a 90-year-old organization in an almost 90-year-old house makes sense, too.

“Clifton Square is just such a great fit for us. . . . We really get to be part of the fabric of the community in Wichita.”