Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Julia Concolino, MBA, is an accomplished marketing professional with extensive experience in digital marketing, content creation, and recruitment. Currently serving as the Marketing Content Manager at VDURA since September 2024, Julia has held previous positions including Director of Marketing at Fizen Technology, where comprehensive digital marketing strategies were developed and executed. Experience also includes roles as Recruiting Manager at CEI and Senior Technical Staffing Consultant at Beacon Hill Staffing Group. Julia's marketing expertise was honed at Carnegie Mellon University as a Marketing and Events Coordinator, and earlier roles included Marketing Sales Content Writer at Rigaku and various internships. Academic qualifications include a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Bachelor's in the Arts from Mississippi State University, an MBA from the University of South Florida, and summer studies at the University of Oxford in International Relations and Affairs.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC was founded on March 11, 1998, by Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania native Paul Heasley. The team’s emergence ended the sport’s 12-year hiatus in the city at the professional level after the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League folded in 1986. Heasley’s inspiration for the team formed when his son, Lucas, began seriously playing soccer in the late 1990s. As there were no local role models for Lucas to look up to, Heasley’s aim was to create a club embodying the character of Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania that could fuel the ambitions of youngsters in the region and give them a pathway to become professional soccer players. This vision was realized during the 1999 USL draft when Peters Township native Justin Evans was selected as the Riverhounds’ first player. The team compiled a 16-12 record in its inaugural regular season, playing its home matches at Bethel Park High School. In 2004, Heasley sold the Riverhounds. The team subsequently underwent a number of venue and ownership changes before landing at Highmark Stadium for the 2013 season. Current owner Tuffy Shallenberger took control of the Riverhounds and Highmark Stadium in 2013. The Riverhounds also operate a thriving youth academy with locations in Pittsburgh and Connellsville.