The son of a migrant farm worker father from Stockton, California, Flores pursued a successful career as a corporate executive with Levi Strauss & Co., Boise Cascade, and Aerojet before spending 18 years with the utility company. During that time, he edged his way into the sports arena. He and his wife, Debra, rarely missed an ASU home baseball game and funded a patio bearing their name where fans can munch hot dogs during games. His passion—and 12 years of service on the Fiesta Bowl Committee—created an itch to pursue a second career in college athletics.

During a casual lunch meeting last year with Pat Murphy, the ASU baseball team’s longtime head coach, Flores shared his desire to work in sports. Murphy responded that his director of operations had been hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks and offered Flores the job.

Flores accepted. “At some point I decided I wanted to have some more fun, and compensation wouldn’t be the driver,” he says.

He retired from his corporate post on March 31, 2008, and reported to work at ASU that same afternoon.

The transition has been exactly what he envisioned: pure joy at being around the game of baseball and college athletes, tempered by the challenges of helping run a program during harsh economic times.

Through his work on the Fiesta Bowl Committee, he forged strong connections with people involved in college athletics, relationships that have helped him make the transition. “You have to be energetic and assertive about pursuing opportunities,” he says.

Because the staff is small, his duties are far-ranging: from cultivating donors to attending to all the logistical details on game day to painting dugout rails. He hosts receptions for alumni at his home, escorts fans to their seats, and works with the media covering the games. “We want all our customers to come away with a satisfying experience,” he says.

When asked what part of the job he enjoys most, Flores points to game days: “Being in and around the ballpark every day is something difficult to describe in terms of the aura and my love for the game.”