Jaivon Wesley is Director of Operations at The Chase Fieldhouse, General Manager for Phantoms Lacrosse Club, an Adjunct Instructor at Wilmington University, and this week’s #PeopleOfWilmDE! Read his story below:
“I have lived and worked in Wilmington for almost three years, but I grew up in Smyrna, Delaware. Before moving to Wilmington and working for BPG|SPORTS, I was the Associate Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Trainer, Head Boys Lacrosse Coach and Business Manager for Summer Programs for my old high school, St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Delaware. After moving to Wilmington in 2018, I began working for BPG|SPORTS and The CHASE Fieldhouse as Director of Operations and the General Manager for the Phantoms Lacrosse Club. In addition to having the opportunity to work for such an impactful organization, I’ve also become involved with Wilmington University as an Adjunct Instructor for their Sports Management Program and Odessa High School as their Boys Lacrosse Head Coach.
As the Director of Operations for BPG|SPORTS, I have been involved in a number of community driven events including HBCU Week/ESPN First Take, Sean Locke 24 Basketball Tournament, and Wendell Smallwood Camp among others. I have also been a Board Member for the Delaware Lacrosse Foundation since 2016.
The personal accomplishment I am most proud of is being selected as Top 40 under 40 by the Delaware Business Times in 2019. This award was a great push to continue my work here in Wilmington. In a larger scope, the economic impact my job allows me to have on the city of Wilmington and the State of Delaware is something that I pride myself on. By hosting events and programs out of The CHASE Fieldhouse, we can bring more outside money to in-state businesses.
My favorite night out in the city of Wilmington was when we hosted special guest Cardi B at the Fieldhouse. Going out to Constitution Yards and hanging out with friends on the Riverfront before the show was perfect.
Wilmington is Delaware’s largest city and, in my opinion, has a massive opportunity to become one of the youngest major cities in the Mid-Atlantic region. As a born and raised Delawarean, I feel it is incredibly important to impact my home state as greatly as possible and living in Wilmington while working for BPG gives me an extraordinary ability to do just that through sports. I am beyond excited for the future of Wilmington, and I am extremely grateful for whatever role I play in the development of the state as a whole.
Being in Wilmington, I am surrounded by countless driven and forward-thinking people and mentors. Every day, I am pushed and encouraged to think bigger and become involved in more. Moving to this city has enabled me to push my own boundaries and to grow not only professionally, but personally as well. Without the opportunity that the city of Wilmington has provided, I don’t believe I would be where I am today.
To me, it is important for everyone to remain responsible and considerate citizens as we all start to gain more normalcy coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doing everything we can, while possibly being an inconvenience to ourselves personally, to limit infection spread including getting vaccinated, wearing masks and listening/accommodating to the requests of others is incredibly important. It is important for everyone to understand that everyone else is experiencing the pandemic in a completely different light and to do all we can to accommodate people’s outlooks on the side of safety.
I am hopeful that our communities in Wilmington will continue to do all of the things necessary to move forward. Everyone is excited to get back to normalcy but, I believe in the Wilmington community to band together to get there.
My advice to people living and working in Wilmington is to engage. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of projects happening in this city where you can meet new people, become involved in impactful initiatives and grow the city of Wilmington. The best advice I have ever gotten as it pertains to my personal professional goals is, ‘Don’t be too proud to do something for free.’ By using this advice, I have met some incredible people and professionals, been able to show my abilities and grow professionally as well as personally.”
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