Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1020464
40 WAC Magazine | wac.net Husky football games. "I just love people and bringing people together," he says. "at's also one of the reasons I love the WAC so much. I tell people how great the Club is all the time. Once they experience it, membership really sells itself." Backstory Phil's WAC story began in 1998 during his final year at West- ern Washington University. His roommate at the time was a professional handball player being recruited by the Club. Phil was his doubles partner. ey joined together. "e tour pros affectionately referred to my off-hand as a rusty gate," he says. "It was pretty much worthless." Phil quit playing handball a decade ago. By then, he was en- trenched in the WAC, serving on multiple committees, joining the 20s/30s group for dozens of events, serving as a pit boss in the Jubilee casino, and playing in the WAC basketball league and with the Golf Club. "Phil has been significantly involved in WAC governance for well over a decade," WAC President & CEO Chuck Nelson says. "He has experienced and contributed to all the WAC is about—a full-service social, fitness, and professional club. e WAC team is excited to work with him to continue to push the Club forward." A few years ago, Phil even earned a sommelier designation with the WAC Wine Club. "Now everyone thinks I know what I'm doing," he jokes. One of Phil's best WAC memories happened in 2007 when his name was announced as the winner of the Jubilee grand prize, a new Mercedes. "It was a pretty big evening," he recalls. "My parents were here. at was pretty special." Phil used to attend 100-plus concerts a year—from small u Michelle and Phil Abbess met at the WAC. club events to stadium shows and festivals at the Gorge Am- phitheatre. In 2003, he and two friends purchased the produc- tion company from the former manager of Queensrÿche. e ownership group is now down to two. "We have the exclusive contract to provide concert pro- duction services for Live Nation in Washington, Oregon and Idaho," Phil says. "Back in the day, it was like having two jobs as we were figuring out what was going on. Now it's so mature, and my partner is so good at it, I'm not in the trenches any- more." He still enjoys the benefits of deep connections in the music industry and now attends about 30 shows a year. "Music brings people together," he says. Early years Phil was born and raised in Los Angeles. Both parents worked in medicine, and the family moved to Bellingham the summer before Phil started high school. "My parents grew tired of the traffic and populace," Phil says. "It was a little bit of a hit from riding my bike down the storm drains to the beach." Phil attended Sehome High School and stayed hyperlocal for college at Western Washington University. On the south end of Sehome Hill, his high school and college campuses abut. Phil's parents are now both retired and still live in Belling- ham. Every December, Phil gis them two Jubilee tickets and a night at the Inn at the WAC. "ey look forward to it every year," he says. "at's always a special night." Phil's lone sibling,