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Today at Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Americas announced an extension of their arena naming rights deal, a significant corporate sponsorship which marks another step in the team's progress on the business front over the last several seasons. The new deal runs through 2019, adding five years to their existing relationship.
We've come a long way from the days of looking around at each other and wondering who the heck the Sommet Group was, haven't we?
An excerpt from the team's press release follows after the jump...
"This naming rights partnership between the Predators/Bridgestone Arena and Bridgestone Americas has exceeded everyone's expectations during its first two years," Nashville Predators CEO Jeff Cogen said. "When Bridgestone lent its name to our building, they helped solidify the stability of the team and showcased the team and the arena as tremendous investments. Bridgestone is a locally based company with global reach, and like the Predators, they pride themselves on their commitment to business excellence and to community. Both on the ice and off it, the team and facility continue to be very successful, and the performance of the venue since Bridgestone Americas came on board has been exceptional. The number and quality of the events hosted is second to none, and the long-term funnel of upcoming events is significant and exciting, which help Nashville's prospects of landing an NHL All-Star Game."
"Bridgestone Americas is a proud supporter of hockey, and by lending our brand name to the Nashville Predators home arena, we not only made a commitment to keeping hockey in Middle Tennessee, we also made a commitment to the city and the community," Bridgestone Americas CEO and President Gary Garfield said. "Since Bridgestone Arena first opened, the city has seen significant development that has transformed downtown Nashville into one of the top tourist destinations in the country. The continued development of downtown Nashville, and the prospects of even further development, cements Bridgestone Arena as a cornerstone for economic growth in Middle Tennessee. We couldn't be more proud to attach the Bridgestone name to this thriving downtown venue."
Considering the growth of non-hockey events at the arena over the last couple years, I'm not surprised to hear that Bridgestone is happy with how this has worked out, it gets their brand name in front of a wider audience on a regular basis.