The Sarnia Sting and Imperial have announced a major sponsorship agreement as the OHL hockey club heads into its 25th season.
The partnership was announced at a news conference at the Imperial Research Building on Christina St. S on Tuesday.
Sting President Bill Abercrombie says they're thrilled.
"I really believe it's like a massive trade as far as on the business side for us," says Abercrombie. "We're super excited to have them on board. Imperial is a pilar of our community, it has been for decades. So, there's no company I can think of that would be better to partner with for our 25th year."
Abercrombie says, as presenting sponsor, Imperial will be prominently displayed in all aspects of the team and in the Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
"They're going to be on everything, every ad, every presenting, in the clock, on the rink. You'll see the Imperial name synonymous with the team," says Abercrombie. "We really believe that having that name associated with us will drive people to come and support us."
He believes the partnership could lead to other companies coming on board.
"I really do believe it's going to open other doors for us. We do have partnerships now with other companies in Chemical Valley, and they have been with us for a long time," says Abercrombie. "It certainly doesn't hurt to have Imperial come on as our main sponsor."
Company Technical Manager Andrew Mitton says Imperial has been in the community 120 years, and the Esso brand is synonymous with hockey.
"There's a well-defined plan of where in the arena the logo will be placed. There's been a lot of thought on how that's going to look. The Esso brand is synonymous with hockey in Canada, and I think people here in the local community will identify with that," says Mitton. "We have over 700 employees that work and live here in Sarnia. Many of them are Sarnia Sting fans, so it's going to go a long way both at the site and for the organization."
Mitton says they'll be jointly sponsoring breakfast programs at PE McGibbon school, and the skate with the Sting program.
The value of the sponsorship is not being disclosed and the length of the agreement is still being worked out, but Abercrombie says they're hopeful it will be "long and prosperous."
.@Stinghockey's David Legwand and Bill Abercrombie unveil Imperial as the team's presenting partner. #SLont pic.twitter.com/yRCz3lVQo7
— Josh Boyce (@JTBoyceCHOK) August 21, 2018