"In 2003, Tom Garrity took over in Houston where the economics of the team were threatening to shut down and leave the city without AHL hockey. Despite the Wild taking over the Aeros' Hockey Operations and leading the team to the Western Conference Finals and the Calder Cup Championship in successive seasons, in July of 2003 the Aeros were losing millions of dollars per year and season ticket renewals were among the lowest in the American Hockey League. In his first season, Tom guided the organization through the difficult transition to a new arena, weathered a last-minute logo change by prior ownership, and actually improved the paid attendance for the Aeros by a large margin at the same time. Since then, under Tom's leadership the Aeros have become one of the model franchises of the American Hockey League, and Tom was asked by the League to chair the League's Marketing Committee last season to help other teams progress in the same way. Although Tom's departure will be a great loss for the Aeros, one of his many accomplishments over the years was to develop a staff in Houston that is able to excel independently, as Tom has spent less time in Houston in the last two years as his duties with the Wild increasingly required his presence in Minnesota. Hence, the success he began will continue in the strong leadership of the Aeros' staff that will now drive the business forward."