RALEIGH, NC—Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced the recent hiring of Jim Ballweg as the team’s senior director of corporate sponsorships. Rutherford also announced the promotion of Brian Tatum to senior director of team operations.

Ballweg, 45, joins the Hurricanes after working for more than six years with the San Diego Padres, most recently as the team’s vice president of sales, overseeing corporate sales, season tickets, group tickets and season suite sales. Prior to joining the Padres, Ballweg was director of advertising sales with the Houston Astros, and also worked for six years with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Ballweg graduated from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1989.

Tatum, 36, recently completed his 12th year with the Hurricanes, and his fourth in the role of director of team operations. His new role will increase his duties and responsibilities within the team’s hockey operations department. Tatum joined the Hurricanes after earning a master’s degree in sports management from North Carolina State University in 1997. He served as the team’s ticket sales manager and team services manager prior to his promotion to director of team operations.