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What's in a name? In this case, the bottom line is $15 million, or $1 million a year for 15 years, but the message matters far beyond the money.
Protective Life Corporation lending its name to Protective Stadium through a long-term sponsorship agreement with the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex is more than a marketing deal.
Protective didn't just give the new $174-million open-air multi-use stadium at Uptown a name. It gave us a lesson in how to protect this house.
"This is more than a stadium – it’s an opportunity for our community to continue thriving,” Rich Bielen, Protective Life's president and CEO, said in a statement.
Second that. A community thrives when proud local companies demonstrate their faith in a bold vision for the future by putting their money where their roots are. Birmingham thrives when people believe and invest in a Greater Birmingham.
Bielen called Protective Stadium a "transformational project for our city.” It is, and that transformation is well under way long before the first kickoff. Consider the powerful and positive implications of this partnership.
Protective Life's executive chairman is a former member of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. His company is making a major contribution to a stadium in Birmingham that will provide a new home for, among other first-class organizations, the UAB football team.
It's not the first time John D. Johns and company have lent their support to the reborn Blazers. It's a reaffirmation that great things happen here when we realize we're all on the same team.
“Like many great things that have happened in Birmingham, this project would not be possible without a number of dedicated partners working together,” Johns said in a statement. “The City, County, BJCC, UAB and the business community have all come together to form a collaborative coalition, and that teamwork has been instrumental in pushing this project forward. The fulfillment of this dream confirms that truly amazing things can happen in this community when we focus our energies on coming together to create our future.”
Protective Stadium is at the center of this Magic City Momentum. We're not just protecting this house. We're expanding our horizons for our children. Can't wait to be there for the first game.
