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36 ~ Sunday, Nov. 1, 1992 -— North Shore News

NAMES: Umeeda Switlo, Michael Murphy

BORN: Uganda; Vancouver, B.C. RESIDENCE: North Vancouver; ‘West Vancouver

EDUCATION: UVIC grad; UBC

grad

OCCUPATION, Marine biologist, president, Cominunity Box Office; vice-president of marketing, CBO FAMILY: Widow; one daughter, Nareena; married, no children

HIGH PROFILES The new ticket masters

North Shore residents putting service back in ticket sales

UMEEDA SWITLO lives so close to her arch-business rival that they may as well share the same postal code — but according to the North Vancouver resident, that’s all they share.

By Evelyn Jacob

News Reporter

NEWS photo Mike Wakelleld

HEADING THE new Community Box Oftice Inc. is president Umeeda Switlo (right) and Michael Murphy, vice-president of

marketing.

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Last week Switlo and partner Michael Murphy’s new commer- cial venture, Community Box Of- fices (CBO), officially hit the market, breaking giant Tick- etmaster’s 10-year stranglehcld on ticketing services for sporting and arts events in B.C.

The two say they plan to “put the service back into the service charge’’ by taking ticket purchas- ing back to a bygone era of friendly, personal service.

“We'll treat you as a customer as opposed to a one-time sale,’’ says Murphy, vice-president of marketing.

Community Box Offices is be- ing promoted as a ‘“‘full-service system,” in which high-tech com- puters bank information on cus- tomer seating preference and track lost or stolen tickets.

Telephone operators provide customers with information on everything from how to get to a concert to dining options. A deal with The PowerStation of Seattle will allow clients to purchase tick- eis to events as far south as Portiand.

A drive-through ticket pickup wicket, insurance policy for cancelled shows, the ability to pay by cheque or money order in ad- dition to credit card, and — best of all — lower service charges — are the kind of options Switlo and Murphy hope will help make CBO as popular as the shows it sells.

“We couldn’i have done this without talking to pewple first,’’ says Murphy. ‘‘The need was clearly there.”

“Presenters and promotors will come tc Vancouver and will have a choice now,” says Switlo, presi- dent ‘of CBO, ‘‘but the real win- ner in this story is the consumer.”

Switlo’s venture into the ticket - industry is hardly surprising.

Her late husband founded Con- cert Box Offices, which merged with Vancouver Ticket Centre in 1982 and became Ticketmaster six years later.

Now Switlo is on the other side

of the fence taking aim at a com- pany her fate husband helped build.

Although Gary Switlo was proud of the ticket empire he created, Switlo says he grew disenchanted with the corpora-

tion’s lack of involvement with . §

non-profit and community organizations. _ . “EF was inspired to do this

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44 We couldn't have done this without talking to people first. The need was clearly. there. ¥¥

because Gary felt the community spirit of the ticket industry had died. And, like Gary, I care about what happens to our community and delieve in giving back to the community.”’

Gary Switlo, who died in April of AIDS, felt so strongly about bringing back the community spirit of the old Concert Box Of- fices that he would hold regular meetings with Switlo and Murphy and discuss business plans for creating a mew agency, even dur- ing the final weeks of his life.

“Here he was blind and going in and out of comas telling us how to put this company together,’ says Switlo. ‘‘He was adamant that the community

should get what it pays for.’’ Switlo admits that pouring $1

November 15 to: Dear Sanita,

Each Sunday, from November 22 to December 27 we are publishing “Christmas Windows”. We'd like your help to make these special features more community involved. Please ask your children to send us their letters to Santa for publication. Of course, we'll make sure Santa gets all those letters we receive. Pictures are welcome too.

You could win a Christmas turkey! Send your

letters and pictures along with your name, age, address and phone number before

1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver B.C. V7M 2H4

SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY + FRIDAY

~ Michael Murphy

million into a new business ven- ture while her husband lay dying was one of the hardest things she’s ever done.

“*She’s an amazing lady,”’ Murphy says of Switlo. “She con- tinued to build the business through Gary’s illness, making sure Ticketmaster didn’t find out about it until the business was up and running.”

Switlo, who is sitting across from Murphy in CBO’s informal board room, credits her business partner for helping her make her. husband's dream a reality.

“Oh, we scream and yell at each other, but we're having a good time doing it,’’ she laughs. “I hope it (not the screaming and yelling) reflects the way we do business.’”