Youngstown Blog » Venue http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog Youngstown Ohio Blog Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:32:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Chevy Centre to Get New Name http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/chevy-centre-to-get-new-name/ http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/chevy-centre-to-get-new-name/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 01:18:11 +0000 ytown http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/?p=191 Come June 1, 2009, the Chevy Centre will have a new name – The Covelli Centre – thanks to a the naming rights contract accepted by the centre from Covelli Enterprises – a three year deal for $120,000 annually. Sam Covelli, president and chief executive officer for Covelli Enterprises is best known by those in the Valley as the man who brought Panera Bread and O’Charley restaurants to the area. GM’s financial hardships resulted in their not renewing the naming contract with the centre, so a new sponsor was needed, and Covelli won the honor.

Rumors had flown the city had turned down a better deal offered by Bruce Zoldan, owner of the B.J. Alan fireworks company and the Mahoning Valley Phantoms hockey team. It had been reported Zoldan had offered $140,000 annually for five years for the Centre’s naming rights. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears this was not the case.

The Centre’s executive director, Eric Ryan, explained the Zoldan offer was also for $120,000 annually. However, like the deal the Centre had just concluded with GM, with the Zoldan offer, money would have been deducted for suites, tickets and other requests. The Covelli offer was for naming rights only, making it the better bet for the Centre.

And with the Covelli offer comes another added bonus – the additional marketing that will become available. Covelli owns 145 Panera Bread franchises and four O’Charley’s restaurants, many within 100 miles of Youngstown. The fact more than 80,000 people visit…

Chevy Centre to Get New Name is a post from: Youngstown Blog

]]> Come June 1, 2009, the Chevy Centre will have a new name – The Covelli Centre – thanks to a the naming rights contract accepted by the centre from Covelli Enterprises – a three year deal for $120,000 annually. Sam Covelli, president and chief executive officer for Covelli Enterprises is best known by those in the Valley as the man who brought Panera Bread and O’Charley restaurants to the area. GM’s financial hardships resulted in their not renewing the naming contract with the centre, so a new sponsor was needed, and Covelli won the honor.

Rumors had flown the city had turned down a better deal offered by Bruce Zoldan, owner of the B.J. Alan fireworks company and the Mahoning Valley Phantoms hockey team. It had been reported Zoldan had offered $140,000 annually for five years for the Centre’s naming rights. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears this was not the case.

The Centre’s executive director, Eric Ryan, explained the Zoldan offer was also for $120,000 annually. However, like the deal the Centre had just concluded with GM, with the Zoldan offer, money would have been deducted for suites, tickets and other requests. The Covelli offer was for naming rights only, making it the better bet for the Centre.

And with the Covelli offer comes another added bonus – the additional marketing that will become available. Covelli owns 145 Panera Bread franchises and four O’Charley’s restaurants, many within 100 miles of Youngstown. The fact more than 80,000 people visit these restaurants each year – and the cross marketing opportunities are many. Covelli assured Youngstown Mayor Jay Williamson Covelli Enterprises would make promoting the Centre a top priority.

Sam Covelli has always been heavily involved in the Mahoning Valley. This year marks Covelli Enterprises’ 50th anniversary in the area with the company’s headquarters being located in Warren, Ohio. Community involvement is big with Covelli, so supporting the Centre by paying for the naming rights is a natural fit.

So what’s coming to the Covelli Centre? Not surprising, the Youngstown Phantom hockey team – owned by Bruce Zoldan (yes, the same guy who lost out on the right to name the Centre) – has agreed in principle to play its 30 regular home games this season at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms are now part of the United States Hockey League, the top amateur hockey league in the country.

Other events on tap for the upcoming months at the Covelli Centre include -

May 15 – Willie Nelson and Family

June 6 – Annual Tri-State Auto Classic, a custom auto and bike show

June 12 – Celtic Women – Isle of Hope

June 13 – Gus Macker, Three on Three Basketball Tournament

Various Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football home games throughout May and June

For more information on upcoming Covelli Centre events, for now, go to www.chevroletcentre.com

Chevy Centre to Get New Name is a post from: Youngstown Blog

]]> http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/chevy-centre-to-get-new-name/feed/ 0 The Chevrolet Centre Something for Everyone http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/the-chevrolet-centre-something-for-everyone/ http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/the-chevrolet-centre-something-for-everyone/#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:49:27 +0000 ytown http://www.cityofyoungstown.com/blog/?p=13 Think only venues in big name cities can attract top-rated performers? Not likely! Y-Town has created a name for itself thanks to the 42 million dollar Chevrolet Centre located on East Front Street in downtown Youngstown. The brainchild of the still incarcerated and forever controversial James Traficant, the Chevy Centre has lived up to the former US State Representative’s promise of bringing big name acts to Youngstown’s downtown. If you build it, they will come.

Everyone from Sesame Street Live to rock legend Meat Loaf have performer here. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has returned several years in a row because of the success they have filling the arena to overflowing. Carrie Underwood brought her show (which was sold out in less than 48 hours) to Youngstown as did Smucker’s Hot Ice, Cool Sounds with Peter Cetera and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

With the ability to seat more than 6000 people (with 520 Club Seats and 26 Luxury Suites), the Chevy Centre is also the home to major sporting events including Phantom ice hockey and Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football games.

The Chevy Centre is not afraid to get messy either. When motocross races come to town, more than 550 cubic feet of dirt is laid down. The Center has been host to tractor pulls, rodeos and the circus too.
Talk about cool! Consider these facts found on the Chevrolet Centre’s website,

The Chevrolet Centre Something for Everyone is a post from: Youngstown Blog

]]> Think only venues in big name cities can attract top-rated performers? Not likely! Y-Town has created a name for itself thanks to the 42 million dollar Chevrolet Centre located on East Front Street in downtown Youngstown. The brainchild of the still incarcerated and forever controversial James Traficant, the Chevy Centre has lived up to the former US State Representative’s promise of bringing big name acts to Youngstown’s downtown. If you build it, they will come.

Everyone from Sesame Street Live to rock legend Meat Loaf have performer here. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra has returned several years in a row because of the success they have filling the arena to overflowing. Carrie Underwood brought her show (which was sold out in less than 48 hours) to Youngstown as did Smucker’s Hot Ice, Cool Sounds with Peter Cetera and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

With the ability to seat more than 6000 people (with 520 Club Seats and 26 Luxury Suites), the Chevy Centre is also the home to major sporting events including Phantom ice hockey and Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football games.

The Chevy Centre is not afraid to get messy either. When motocross races come to town, more than 550 cubic feet of dirt is laid down. The Center has been host to tractor pulls, rodeos and the circus too.
Talk about cool! Consider these facts found on the Chevrolet Centre’s website, www.chevroletcentre.com detailing how the Center is converted to an ice hockey arena. The ice is put in sometime in late September and remains on the floor of the arena during the entire hockey season. If an act is to perform during this time, the ice is covered with an Athletica “Ice Deck.” It takes about 6 hours for the facility to be converted from event to event and about 10 people of the Chevrolet Centre Operations 32 hours to make ice, including painting all logos by hand. Said ice is one inch thick and kept at 19 degrees for hockey and – interestingly – 24 degrees for Disney on Ice and figure skating performances. This is all accomplished thanks to the seven miles of cooling pipes in the concrete floor under the ice.

Locals can have access to the facility as well. The Skating Club of Greater Youngstown uses the Centre to teach figure skating and host skating competitions. Area businesses rent the facility to for trade and consumer shows as well as community events.
Yes, the Chevy Centre is doing very well despite nay-sayers dire predictions that Youngstown would not support such a venue. Sponsorship is a must and names like General Motors (of course), Superior Beverages, Pepsi-Cola, Youngstown, St. Elizabeth Health Center, First Place Bank, and Ron Haus Auto Group lead the way.

Be sure to visit the Chevrolet Centre’s website at www.chevroletcentre.com to check on upcoming events. Know that the box office is always open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and special hours during ticket “on sale” days. For more information call the center at (330) 746-5600.

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The Chevrolet Centre Something for Everyone is a post from: Youngstown Blog

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