Lance Sadlek is the new executive director at Davenport’s RiverCenter, but he’s not new to the RiverCenter or Davenport. Not only did he spend 31 years as director of the Galvin Fine Arts Center on St. Ambrose University’s campus, but he served on the RiverCenter’s Advisory Board for 14 years. He was a member on […]
Lance Sadlek is the new executive director at Davenport’s RiverCenter, but he’s not new to the RiverCenter or Davenport.Not only did he spend 31 years as director of the Galvin Fine Arts Center on St. Ambrose University’s campus, but he served on the RiverCenter’s Advisory Board for 14 years. He was a member on the board when the RiverCenter campaigned for the new marquee. “The board really gave me a firm foundation on what the operation was like,” he told the QCBJ. On behalf of the City of Davenport, VenuWorks manages the RiverCenter, one of some 30+ facilities it manages across the country. VenuWorks President Steve Peters led a nationwide search and selected Mr. Sadlek as “a results-oriented leader who will ensure our patrons have the best customer experience.” Mr. Sadlek reports to both VenuWorks and Mallory Merritt, Davenport’s chief financial officer. He moved into his new role in early December and has some big ideas and goals for the RiverCenter.“We’re just starting to talk with the city about potential capital improvements for the center and are already in talks for the Broadway series in 2024,” he reveals. “And this includes some theatrical productions more contemporary than the standards.” He added that “Hairspray” did very well recently with a large audience.During the pandemic, Mr. Sadlek said, they were also upgrading certain components of their food service, including equipment. In the near future, he’ll be looking for a new marketing director and wants to create a new website soon. In fact, virtual tour camera work is being done right now.His focus has been expanded from Galvin to the RiverCenter. “I want to do more with collaborations and partnerships, since we’re community-oriented,” he says.The job is bigger than at Galvin because “it’s a different kind of booking.” While at the helm of Galvin, Mr. Sadlek oversaw a facility that included a 1,100-seat auditorium, 110-seat recital hall, 55-seat black box theater, practice rooms, offices, and classrooms housing Theater, Music, Art, and Communications Departments, television and radio stations, book arts lab, scene and costume shops, and two art galleries. He also was integral in producing more than 90 performing arts programs and events annually.Despite his lengthy experience, he said he is learning new things from the former RiverCenter Executive Director Rick Palmer, who’s right across the hall. Mr. Palmer wanted to downsize his workload and has narrowed his focus to programming for the Adler Theatre now as general manager. Mr. Sadlek oversees all the rooms of the North & South RiverCenter complex, the atrium outside the Hotel Blackhawk, as well as the Adler Theatre.He raves about the staff’s dedication, including the volunteer ushers. “They’re so open to helping anyone who walks into the facility and the first impressions they give are phenomenal.”One recent Saturday night he was overseeing a hot tub exposition during the day in one of the RiverCenter’s rooms, while hosting the Quad City Symphony at the Adler that night.“I think this is a great time to be in venue work as both audiences and performers have this pent-up need to get out. We’re going to give it to them and they’re going to get my best,” he said.
