Robert (Bob) L. Fregolle, Jr.
Bob was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA, in January of 1957. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan Business School (BBA) in 1979, he went straight to work for Procter & Gamble in their Food Sales division.
After numerous assignments in the U.S., he and his young family moved to Warsaw, Poland, where Bob became the first Sales Manager of P&G Polska as P&G entered Eastern Europe in 1991. Three years later he was named Sales Director for the Central & Eastern European division encompassing what was the former USSR, Warsaw Pact countries and down through the Balkans. Following this assignment, he was named Vice President of P&G’s Europe, Middle East & Africa Customer Marketing Department and shortly thereafter Vice President of Sales for the Tissue & Towel Global Business Unit. These assignments led the Fregolle family from Warsaw to Frankfurt to Brussels and Geneva.
In 2000, Bob was named Vice President of P&G’s Greater China Sales Department responsible for all sales & distribution, customer marketing, and customer logistics across the three markets of Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong where he lived in Guangzhou, PRC. While in Guangzhou with his wife, Lori, and his two children, Bob established Guangzhou’s first-ever “Little League” baseball league for children ages 5-14. In 2003, Bob returned to Geneva as Vice President, Sales for CEEMEA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa). In the summer of 2008, Bob moved to Singapore as Vice President, Sales Asia. In February of 2009, Bob was elected to his last assignment at P&G, Global Sales Officer. Bob retired from the Company after his wonderful 35-year career with P&G in July of 2014.
In summer 2015, Bob and his partner purchased the Daytona Tortugas. The Daytona Tortugas are a Minor League professional baseball team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. They play in the Florida State League and are the Class Single-A-Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark which opened in 1930, seating 4,200 fans. Of historical note, "The Jack" was the site of the first racially integrated game in professional baseball history. It was an exhibition game in which Jackie Robinson broke the professional baseball "color barrier" on March 17, 1946, when he played for the Montreal Royals, a Dodger's Affiliate, in Florida. In November of 2023, Bob led the finalization of a new 30-year lease that committed the City of Daytona Beach to commit to $30MM in capital improvements in the ballpark.
The team’s mission is to provide Volusia County, Florida (and all who visit it!), affordable, family-friendly entertainment, while hosting the Cincinnati Reds of the future. Sitting in our historic stands takes you back to a time when life was simpler, the crack of the bat could be heard in all corners of the stadium, and you could enjoy a well-played professional baseball game in a family friendly, affordable way. Please come out to a game with us, meet Shelldon, our Tortugas Mascot, enjoy a hotdog and a cold refreshment, and root on the Tugas!
In addition to being a Trustee and Advancement Committee Co-Chair of the Cincinnati Museum Center, Bob is a Trustee on the University of Michigan Ross Business School Advisory Board and is co-chair of the Tortugas Care Foundation. When not working, Bob and his family love cycling/exercising, scuba diving, snow skiing, hunting/fishing, traveling, baseball, and anything that has to do with the University of Michigan!