Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Complaints against officer keep coming
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
'Tecmo Bowl' recreation of Super Bowl XLIV
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Will many companies step forward in a small financial way?
Published on Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008
What Huntsman and his allies must do is translate those positive trends into real green, as in cash, to keep one of Akron's signature events going. In difficult economic times, that goal has proved more difficult than attracting racers. For the first time in a decade, the derby lacks a national sponsor. The last big name, Levi Strauss, bowed out last fall.
The need is for broad-based support, from the community and a wider array of corporate sponsors. Gone are the days of one large sponsor, a Chevrolet or a NASCAR, providing the major financial boost.
For their part, derby officials have shown creativity, for example, marketing kits for constructing racers, something that now accounts for about a third of operating income. Licensing derby apparel and toys is under study. So is a push to expand the derby's reach into foreign countries and, with donated cars, to inner-city neighborhoods. Corporations could participate as part of team-building exercises.
With an expanded presence, the task of attracting a variety of corporate sponsors, perhaps as many as 20, should be eased, companies using the derby's reach as part of their marketing strategies.
The recent unveiling of a new business plan with all that in mind points in the right direction. A $2 million fund-raising goal has been set, with the objective of building a foundation that could help the derby weather ups and downs in its revenue. The city of Akron provided help last year and this year by advancing to the derby revenue from dedicated gas wells at Akron Fulton International Airport. Others must follow suit, preserving both the history of the derby in Akron and its positive economic impact.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
