About AmericanTowns SPORTS!
AmericanTowns SPORTS is the FIRST comprehensive website and communications solution for local sports teams and leagues. AmericanTowns was founded in 1999 to bring the power of the Internet to local communities and organizations. Sports teams and leagues are among our most valued participants and supporters – and an important way to achieve our mission of helping to strengthen the bonds of local communities.
The more we worked with sports teams, the more we realized they needed an easy-to-use site not just for schedules, but to help manage all the affairs of the team and league, and to connect with the broader community.
To create the solution, AmericanTowns incorporated a great existing sports website from League Athletics. Now the best features from League Athletics combine with the broad community reach provided by AmericanTowns.
But we’ve done more, like creating a variety of family-friendly advertising options that keep the costs down (so you can focus on the sports and the kids)
For more information on the participants in AmericanTowns SPORTS! go to:
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| About American Towns
Who We Are
What We Do
AmericanTowns History
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Who we are
 Jim Maglione, Co-President, Community
Jim's long involvement with high-profile, community-related companies makes him a natural for AmericanTowns, where he oversees development of content and outreach. He was Director of Development for Save the Children, and before that, a chief Sales Manager for Reader's Digest Children's Publishing. These positions threw a big spotlight on his gifts for team-building, grassroots marketing and developing really cool content. Jim's passion for community doesn't end when he shuts the lights out in his office: he's an active volunteer with Meals-On-Wheels, the Norwalk (CT) Emergency Shelter and other groups.
 Edward Panian, Co-President, Technology
From the earliest days of AmericanTowns in 2000, Edward has been "the man behind the curtain," engineering the seamless merger between our content and the easy-to-use technology users love. Now as the head of technology, he oversees all facets of infrastructure, ops and new product development. Ed studied at University College in Dublin, Ireland and has a degree from Fordham University in New York City.
 Stephen Simmons, Director of Technology
Joining AmericanTowns full time at the start of the expansion in 2006, Stephen has been the guiding architect of our web infrastructure and content aggregation. He's got over 15 years of Software Engineering experience, having directed the implementation of really cool technology for the financial services industry and for cutting-edge companies like IdeaLab! When he's not designing systems, Stephen indulges his passion for music as a DJ and by producing tracks for independent record labels in New York.
 Thao Hau, Manager, Community Development
Thao joined the AmericanTowns team at the start of our expansion, finding a perfect place to put her interest in community outreach - and her B.A. in Graphic Design - to work. Off-hours, she indulges her passion for photography and hand-crafts (including furniture and clothing design).
 Bekim Sejdic, Manager, Community Development
Bekim has been with AmericanTowns since 2000, working directly with community organizations nationwide. When he's not working with our network of AmericanTowns community groups, he's hip-deep in web design or growing his impressive collection of horror and cult movies.
 Cindy Grogan, Copywriter
Cindy began her writing career at a small, New York radio syndication firm, creating news features and comedy bits for morning radio teams. After several years with ABC Radio Networks, she began freelancing, working in broadcast, print and the internet. When she's not writing content for AmericanTowns, the freelance life allows her time to pursue her interest in history, gardening and politics - and to work in her pajamas.
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What We Do
AmericanTowns offers communities a single online location for everything--and everyone -- needed to navigate daily life in their town. The AmericanTowns site is an indispensable practical tool and the most effective way to bring neighbors together.
IT'S ORGANIZED
By organizing a town's many internet resources under a single umbrella, AmericanTowns helps people quickly find out what's happening in their local government, schools, libraries and community groups. It's the place to instantly find recreation, entertainment, fun places to take the kids, restaurants, movies, realtors, businesses and other professional services.
AmericanTowns is also the best way to stay up to date on that school amendment or zoning plan ---and make your voice heard.
LOTS HAPPENING, ONE PLACE TO FIND IT ALL
The heart of the AmericanTowns network is a community calendar. Any nonprofit group can submit events; individuals then add them to their personal AmericanTowns calendar. Use your AmericanTowns site to announce important dates: plays, games, meetings, election dates, fairs and festivals, school events and more.
SPREAD THE WORD
Our simple tools let a group or small business easily create its own content. AmericanTowns is the quickest way to spread the word about meetings, events, sales and important issues. Share your good news and post your press releases. And with additional features like polling and chat rooms, you can discover what the town is thinking and doing.
EVERYONE'S WELCOME
Everyone can use AmericanTowns - just sign up and create a page for almost anything. With a "personal profile" you can connect with others in the community who share your interests. Or use AmericanTowns to publicize an event. From theater groups, sports teams and garden clubs to historical society events, political and social activism or business chamber meetings, AmericanTowns is the virtual heart of YOUR community.
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AmericanTowns History
It was 1999 in Pleasantville, NY, and a local school bond issue had just been narrowly defeated, leaving the community angry and divided. Ted Buerger was asked to co-chair a committee of 160 concerned citizens formed to evaluate all the alternatives to this thorny issue and present their findings... in just 11 weeks. It seemed impossible until the group had an inspiration: build a central website where the committee could share its progress, solicit opinions and create its final report all under the gaze of the public eye. That website helped the committee produce a detailed, 300-page report right on schedule. The report satisfied the school board (they chose one of the 13 alternatives) and because of its transparency, the community was satisfied as well.
Buerger was struck by the power of this digital "town square". Soon after the citizen committee's work was done, he met with Mike Kelly, award-winning publisher of Entertainment Weekly (and now President of AOL Media Networks), who sitting at his kitchen table had sketched out a business plan for an online tool that citizens, groups and merchants could use to build a better community. Four days later, they formed AmericanTowns. Buerger was named Chairman; among its first employees were Jim Maglione, now Co-President, Community, and Ed Panian, now Co-President, Technology.
Pleasantville was among the first "AmericanTowns" to go live. The easy-to-use resource has since become a part of daily life there and in the other communities the site serves. In fact, in many towns, monthly visits to the site total twice the number of local households, as folks regularly check everything from the train schedule, to the community calendar, rain dates for the soccer game or news about a successful fundraiser.
The company rapidly expanded in 2006, achieving its ambitious goal to bring its newly-upgraded framework, expanded resources and citizen-generated content to half of all US communities by the end of 2006.
With over 60,000 listed organizations, 3 million events, and 4 million pages of locally useful content, AmericanTowns continues to power ahead in its plan to build a site in every United States community in 2007. But its driving vision hasn't changed from those days in Pleasantville: to create a useful, shared and "open" webspace for the community, bringing people, places and events together like never before.
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