The Town of Suffield announces the hiring of Peter R. Leclerc as Director of Parks & Recreation and Christopher Matejek as Facilities Manager. Both positions fill current vacancies. Leclerc formerly served as Director of Sports and Operations for the Bay State Games; Matejek was Manager of Property and Guest Services at Yankee Candle Company’s flagship store in South Deerfield, Mass. “We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to hire both of these very experienced gentlemen,” First Selectman Melissa M. Mack stated, “both were chosen from highly competitive applicant pools – we received over 90 resumes in total for the two positions – and I am very confident they will prove to be great assets to the Town of Suffield.”
Leclerc’s responsibilities for the official State Games of Massachusetts (Bay State Games) included event management for 30 sport competitions, showcases and programs for over 7,000 athletes. Skills include program development, community outreach, customer service and communications including digital and social media. His expertise is evidenced in his ongoing role as adjunct professor of Sports Administration at Lasell College. Previously Leclerc was Recreation Supervisor for 9 years at the City of Holyoke where he currently resides.
A Suffield resident, Matejek served for over 18 years at the Yankee Candle campus. In his managerial role, Matejek oversaw 20+ employees in general maintenance of the 80,000 square foot retail and tourist facility. TripAdvisor touts the destination as both “the world’s largest candle store and factory” and a Certificate of Excellence winner based on customer reviews. Matejek’s strong customer service, meticulous attention to detail and excellent work ethic are noted by all who associate with him. A father of three, Matejek is active in the Suffield community as a coach.
Both Leclerc and Matejek began their new jobs the week of June 11.