Dive Brief:
- One of the largest general contractors in the Sacramento, California, area is making its mark along the lines of SoFi, Allegiant Air and Globe Life by putting its name on a local sports venue.
- Roebbelen Contracting has purchased a naming rights sponsorship for the Placer Valley Event Center, part of the $47 million transformation of @the Grounds 55-acre fairgrounds in Roseville, California. Financial terms of the sponsorship were not released.
- Roebbelen was the general contractor for the renovation of the 160,000-square-foot center that opened to the public in February. The newly named Roebbelen Center — one of the largest meeting places in the Sacramento region — can accommodate major amateur sports competitions, large meetings, trade shows, concerts and other events.
Dive Insight:
The Roebbelen Center joins a handful of other venues named for construction-related firms. These include:
- The Dow Event Center indoor arena in Saginaw, Michigan.
- Caterpillar's Dozer Park minor league baseball stadium in Peoria, Illinois.
- Fluor Field at the West End minor league baseball stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
- PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, home to the Penguins NHL team.
- Rio Tinto MLS soccer stadium near Salt Lake City, Utah, named for the global mining operations company.
- U.S. Steel Yard stadium in Gary, Indiana, home of the Gary SouthShore RailCats, an American Association of Independent Professional Baseball team.
The home of the Placer County Fair for more than 80 years, @the Grounds has undergone extensive renovations to its campus and facilities since Placer Valley Tourism assumed management of venue, including a $34 million upgrade to the Roebbelen Center. The newly renovated building can accommodate as many as 12 full-length basketball courts or 24 volleyball courts.
The Roebbelen name and logo could remain on the building and throughout @the Grounds until 2040, according to a press statement. The partnership was a natural fit after the company completed the work, said Kenneth Wenham, president and CEO of Roebbelen, in the statement.
“We greatly appreciate the special relationship that we’ve built with the community and Placer Valley Tourism, and we didn’t want it to end with the ribbon-cutting," he said.
The Roebbelen Center will also help the 350-employee company connect with job seekers looking for new opportunities, said Wenham.
“It will lend some familiarity, and they can learn more about us,” he said. “With the sponsorship, we’re sending a message: We’ve been here for 60 years and we’re going to be around for many more.”
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many events to be canceled or postponed since March. But organizers remain interested and are scheduling events for later in the year, according to David Attaway, CEO of @the Grounds and Placer Valley Tourism.
The Roebbelen sponsorship is a “good touchpoint” to connect with the South Placer community, said Pat Nieser, vice president of corporate partnership and development for The Superlative Group, the Cleveland-based company that helped @the Grounds market the event center to potential sponsors nationwide.
“The event center makes a lot of sense for Roebbelen — they put their name on their work," he said.
