Of those, I really only think AEP, Huntington, Safelite, and Ohio Health are possibilities. I don't think DSW is strong enough a brand anymore. Battelle and Worthington Industries don't really have anything to gain from a sponsorship. Riverside is part of Ohio Health, is it not? A couple to add in would be Charlie's Philly Steaks. B-dubs isn't headquarted in Ohio anymore, but got it's start here and has national* reach and would seem a good fit. Big Lots *National, not global as I first said
(Ohio Health/Riverside was supposed to be one line. My wife worked there for years.) I thought Schottensteins was still pretty strong. As for a couple of the others, again, awareness, community, stock value, public profile, all of that. But you're probably right. Is Flying J possible? It's being sold, so it isn't entirely theirs anymore anyway.
Really... Scotts, Wendy's, White Castle, Safelite, Charlies all make sense. And it doesn't have to be a Columbus based company. B-dubs would make sense, Marco's pizza is out of Toledo and is rapidly expanding. Whirlpool. Owens Corning. I'm sure there are plenty of others we're not even thinking about (a la Barbosol way back when)
Obviously, with Lyons working the Crew and his former job with The Columbus Partnership, it makes sense that it be a firm either based in Central Ohio or with a large presence here (like Acura). I mean, duh. That said, (as @west ham sandwich notes) with the Haslam's NE Ohio connections, what about, say, Goodyear, Progressive (about which Nationwide might have an opinion), Sherwin Williams?
I've thought this might be a possibility. Would be great, but would be very surprised if they pulled it off.
I was just coming here to suggest this. They have current temp space right down the street from Confluence Village and the new building won't be much further away. They already have or are in the process of moving a lot of jobs from NYC to Columbus. Plus they already have a working relationship with MLS as they had previously sponsored the homegrown game during all star week. Downside would be their recent PR nightmares might have hurt their marketing checkbook, making it unlikely they're looking to write the size of check I bet Crew FO is looking for.
I worked for the East Main Street Schottenstein's for about a year before we heard were going out of business and switching over to Burlington Coat Factory. Back in the electronics section. Hardlines too. Carried many a TV into cars. Knowing how budget Schotts really is makes me think I wouldn't want them for a kit sponsor. lol
Oh now you're just trolling. In all honesty, I'd be surprised if it's a central-Ohio based corporation, but less surprised if it's Cleveland-area based. And not surprised at all if it's a nationally known entity. But, I fully expect to play this year without a presenting sponsor, which makes me very sad and disappointed in the entire ownership group and front office. A failure on the same scale as Precourt not carrying the buzz of the 2015 MLS Cup into 2016 (granted, that may have been a failure-on-purpose, but a failure nonetheless). Inexcusable.
Long shots... DHL just moved their US headquarters back to westerville. DHL has a history with soccer but their US footprint has always been shaky. Honda Wendy's Grange (see Nationwide comment) Would be hipster: White Castle Homage Root CoverMyMeds Safe bet its a No: LBrands (and all their children) Cardinal Health A&F Big Lots BrewDog Team Sponsor but not shirt/stadium Huntington Ohio Health OrthopedicOne <insert craft beer name that isnt brewdog> Only way you see Nationwide is if the front office makes them think Progressive or another firm might do it....They have a big ego..
There is still time. And if companies like LifeVantage, Zulily, and Bimbo want to be jersey sponsors, we can certainly find somebody who wants to plunk down some cash. Even if not, have it be a charity, even for one season.
Has your week really gone all poo-poo because some corporate entity isn’t splashing its crappy, consultant driven logo all over your favorite soccer team? I think it’s pretty evident that the owners value the product and are committed to investing in the team long term. At this point they could take potential shirt sponsor money and roast marshmallows over it without batting an eye. Not having a sponsor is baller as f@ck. We don’t beg at the whore house anymore.
Let's just address these in order, shall we? Please see my responses below, in red: Sports is a hobby for me and has very little bearing on my mental health, just as my work or personal life have very little bearing on my attitude towards sports. Plus, I'm actually having a really, really good week, so... This is true, the Haslams are very rich. However, the shirt sponsor is more than just window dressing. It's an indicator of the franchise's financial health - not the owner's - and an indicator of support from the corporate community, be that local, regional or national. I'm sure that, as wealthy as they are, the Haslams would like for their sports interests to be self-sufficient, providing a return on their investment rather than being a constant drain on the balance sheet; after all: becoming a billionaire doesn't result from being fiscally irresponsible. Having a corporate interest splash down a few million dollars a year is one of the big steps to the franchise becoming solvent. Edit to clarify: I never called into question Ownership's commitment to the franchise nor whether they value the product. They wouldn't have paid a record amount of millions for Zelarayán, not to mention the other outgoing transfer fees, if they did. I may be showing my age here, but I don't exactly know what all this lingo means. I assume you're trying to say that "our owners are such a big deal that they don't need to take dirty corporate money from "the man" and that's pretty darn cool. I would simply counter with: Bullshit. Our owners are small fish in the billionaire pond and believe me, they'd like to gather as much more money as possible, from whomever is willing to write checks (as long as taking those checks doesn't cause a PR nightmare resulting in the loss of other checks being written). Trust: To Truck Stop Jimmy, Sweet Dee, and Doc Pete it's all about the benjamins, baby.
Because that's an indicator of support from the local business community. Plus, it's cool to have a hometown company's logo on the hometown team's shirt. Personally, I don't think there is a currently viable option in central Ohio. If - and it's a big if - we have a shirt sponsor this year it will be a national MLS corporate partner.
I like the red font. Fancy. My suggestion is to just take a breath and let your hand off the panic button, buddy. This ownership group is less than 2 years in. Unclench your butt and hopefully enjoy what’s on the field. it’s a marathon not a sprint. Hope you understand that lingo, Magoo.