Dow takes over as River Roar sponsor
 Friday, September 14, 2007 By JON McQUINN TIMES SPORTS WRITER

 The Bay City River Roar has enjoyed 20 years of success with local businesses serving as title sponsors.

When the 21st edition of the annual powerboat race takes place next June, the title sponsor will be a bit more prominent.

The River Roar committee announced Thursday that Midland-based Dow Chemical Co. has signed on as title sponsor of next year's event, and will pay $35,000 to officially name the event the 2008 Dow River Roar.

''I came into my current role about a year ago and immediately tried to assess our sponsorship roles both in the state and in this region,'' said Jennifer Heronema, external communications manager for Dow Chemical.

''I wanted to improve the visibility of Dow in the area,'' Heronema said, ''and I already knew about the River Roar here in Bay City.''

Heronema approached River Roar director Chad Cunningham last spring to learn more about the event and its sponsorship possibilities. The result was a sponsorship package for SST-120 class driver Kevin Ladd, a deal that represented Dow's first foray into the River Roar.

''We dipped our toe in the water this year,'' Heronema said. ''Coming over here and sponsoring a boat gave us the opportunity to check things out, see how the event was run, see how everything worked.''

This year's event was sponsored by Dobson Industrial, which signed on last winter when previous title sponsor Labadie Auto Co. declined to continue its role. Dobson's involvement was seen as a stopgap measure for the 2007 event until a new title sponsor could be found.

''After this year's River Roar, Chad asked me if Dow would be interested in expanding its involvement,'' Heronema said. ''I wasn't sure if Dow was interested, but I was excited about the possibilities. Dow liked the idea, and we signed on.''

The River Roar sponsorship is the latest of several in which Dow has entered with Tri-Cities sports and entertainment concerns over the past five years.

Dow has worked closely with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League since the team began operations five years ago, and purchased the naming rights to the team's home - The Dow Event Center - in 2004.

More recently, the company played a pivotal role in bringing the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball team to Midland. The Midwest League team made its debut last spring, playing its home games at a $31 million facility named Dow Diamond.

''Increasing Dow's visibility is part of it, but the No. 1 reason we do this is to play a bigger role within the community - to be more a part of the community,'' Heronema said. ''We've done these things in an attempt to give back to the Tri-Cities, and if that leads to a better reputation for the company, that's great for Dow.''

River Roar president Elaine Rico said organizers were glad Dobson stepped up this year to help.

''But bringing Dow on is huge,'' she said.

Veteran team owner Bill Seebold - owner of the Bud Light Racing Team - sees bright days ahead for the River Roar with its new sponsor.

''Bay City has certainly had a lot of support from local businesses, and this race couldn't have been run without them,'' Seebold said. ''But any time you get an international company to sponsor your event, it's going to help.''

''It's a lot like our relationship with Anheuser-Busch,'' Seebold said. ''There are a lot of sponsors on a lot of boats, but our boats kind of stand out because of our sponsor.''

Heronema said the agreement to sponsor the River Roar will be reviewed annually.

''We evaluate our sponsorships every year,'' Heronema said. ''After next year's River Roar, we'll take a look at how things went and see where we stand.

''But I don't see this being a short-term relationship at all.''
 

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