Travis Credit Union is placing its name on a baseball park here thanks to its strong ties to the community and a far-sighted marketing agreement.
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Travis Credit Union Park is a 3,500-seat stadium that is home to the Solano Steelheads, a minor league baseball team in the independent Western Baseball League.
Travis CU positioned itself as a likely contender for the stadium, which was constructed in late 1999 and early 2000, by sponsoring the home team during its first year, promoting the team in its eight branch lobbies, and through theme nights and employee appreciation events at the stadium.
Team owner Bruce Portner initially signed a 10-year contract with La Mesa RV, a recreational vehicle dealer, for naming rights of the stadium, but approached Travis CU after La Mesa stepped away from the commitment after one first year and because residents expressed a desire for a local namesake.
"I think people were excited to have it called Travis Credit Union Park," said Lila Dressen, EVP at the $1-billion CU. "Certainly the community leaders felt more positive about the credit union having the park named after it versus someone from out of the area, which I guess La Mesa RV was."
But don't call it serendipity. TCU had written into its three-year sponsorship agreement that if the naming rights for the park became available that it would get first option. The result is a two-year agreement with an additional three-year option to keep the Travis name on the stadium. The park already has an acronym by which it is sometimes referred: T-Cup.
The move reflects the savvy marketing machine that has placed Travis CU in first place six years a row in a newspaper survey of "Best Place to Bank in Solano County," leaving contenders like Bank of America and Wells Fargo in second and third place.
"It truly is to a large degree a marketing opportunity for us," Dressen explained. "We have a spot on the program. There is a night when we get to throw the first ball for the game. We do some giveaways that of course have credit union advertising on them. One of the big benefits to the credit union is it does represent a marketing opportunity. With that marketing offset it's a great deal."
Dressen declined to say what Travis Credit Union was paying for the naming rights to the stadium, saying only that the cost is not significantly more than what it was already spending in its sponsorship deal. An earlier published report stated that La Mesa RV was spending between $80,000 and $100,000 for its sponsorship.
"It was a nominal increase for us over what we had sponsored for the previous year," she noted. "The credit union paid very little more to have the naming rights."
Travis Credit Union sought the naming rights for another reason, and that is plans for future development around the stadium.
"As it expands they're talking about putting in a hotel and a golf course and a lot of other stuff over there," Dressen said. "We're hoping that name will maybe spill over into some of that."
The Solano Steelheads' season runs May to August, and its opponents include the likes of the Chico Heat, the Sonoma County Crushers, the St. George Pioneerzz, the Long Beach Breakers, and the Yuma Bullfrogs. Tickets run $8-$14.
Travis Credit Union Park is celebrating the opening season game May 18 with a theme night that corresponds with the credit union's Golden Anniversary celebration. Called Golden Opportunities with Travis Credit Union, the credit union will give away new gold dollar coins during the opening game.
