TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Concluding an unprecedented initiative that rolled out eight months ago, McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. in Mobile, Ala. has been named winner of the first-ever “Small Business Game Changer” by the Business Council of Alabama (BCA) and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, University of Alabama Athletics’ multimedia rights holder.
McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. will be awarded a complimentary 2016 Alabama football sponsorship and various representatives will attend tomorrow’s 2 p.m. Spring Game in Tuscaloosa. Melissa Cross, president of McAleer’s Office Furniture Co., and Business Council of Alabama Board Member Carl T. Jamison, shareholder of JamisonMoneyFarmer, PC, will be on hand tomorrow as Cross and her business will be recognized with an on-field presentation. Cross’ business will receive corporate partner benefits during the upcoming football season which include hospitality, game tickets, in-venue logo recognition, and exposure through the gameday publications and Crimson Tide Radio Network.
“The Business Council of Alabama understands that small businesses provide the majority of jobs for Alabamians and in so doing are the economic engine of Alabama,” said Business Council of Alabama President and CEO William J. Canary. “A University of Alabama season football sponsorship will be a game-changer for McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. and the Business Council of Alabama is proud to provide McAleer’s this platform.”
Last August, the BCA and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing aligned to announce this first-of-its-kind opportunity for a state-based business with 50 or fewer employees. Businesses in good standing with the BCA could enter online from Sept. 1, 2015-Jan. 31, 2016. The other entry requirement was submitting why a 2016 Alabama football sponsorship would be a game-changer for their small business. A panel of judges reviewed the submitted applications blindly based on the creativity, originality, and values and principles expressed in the 150-word entry. The panel comprised the current chairman of the Business Council of Alabama; the Business Council of Alabama Small Business Committee chair(s); a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; a representative of the National Association of Manufacturers; and the current chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama.
“I wrote the essay as a tribute to my father Jim McAleer, who founded McAleer’s Office Furniture 37 years ago and made it the success it is today,” said Cross. “We are both graduates of the University of Alabama, so we couldn’t be more excited to win a corporate sponsorship of one of the greatest football teams in the history of the sport. We are incredibly thankful to the Business Council of Alabama and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing; it is organizations like these, people like my Dad and small businesses like McAleer’s that make the state of Alabama great!”
According to Jim Carabin, general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, “This is a tremendous opportunity for an Alabama-based small business that will derive immense visibility throughout the entire football season and beyond.”
He added, “McAleer’s is very deserving of this sponsorship, and we’re excited to work with them on the various components. We’re thankful the Business Council of Alabama sees what an invaluable exposure a platform like this can be for its members. Roll Tide!”
“Small Business Game Changer” was open only to small businesses located in the state of Alabama with good-standing BCA membership status. Additional eligibility restrictions applied. Crimson Tide Sports Marketing is a property of Learfield, which has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for more than 120 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic departments at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup. Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; licensing and trademark consulting; digital platform expertise; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies.
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