The CEO of a concession vendor for Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego Convention Center – seen in a video kicking a dog in an elevator – has been placed on probation from the company.
Centerplate, a Connecticut-based company that provides concessions at venues throughout the United States and Canada, issued a statement Thursday that it is censuring and placing the CEO, Des Hague, on indefinite probation.
“We pride ourselves as individuals and as a company on how we treat others—both humans and animals,” the statement reads. “The company finds Mr. Hague’s personal behavior unacceptable and outside the bounds of our high standards and expectations of all of our staff. We do not condone nor can we overlook the mistreatment of animals and Mr. Hague’s personal misconduct.”
The reprimand follows a newly surfaced video that shows a man in Vancouver, B.C., get into an elevator and kick a dog repeatedly. The man is also seen yanking at the dog’s collar – so hard he actually lifts the dog from the ground.
Centerplate identified the man as Hague.
In an earlier statement, Hague has apologized for the incident and promised to receive anger management counseling.
Centerplate’s Thursday statement says that as a condition of continued employment, Hague must donate $100,000 to the Sade Foundation, which provides safety and protection for animals in Vancouver, B.C.
The company also wants Hague to serve 1,000 hours of community service to an animal-based organization.
“Centerplate in no way condones the mistreatment of animals, and as a strong sign of our conviction, we the company will also contribute a portion of our sales to the Sade Foundation,” the statement reads. “Additionally, we will open this foundation to all Centerplate employees and the general public who want to support and contribute in the hope that meaningful change can come out of this tragic situation.”
Following discovery of the video, many animal rights activists called for the boycott of Centerplate, which provides concessions for Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego Convention Center.
A spokesman for the convention center said while the video was disturbing, he did not believe it was a reflection “of the hundreds of local San Diego Centerplate employees that deliver the highest quality of service.”
