The decision by the city to fund BB&T Ballpark is still a sore issue among some local residents, so the Winston-Salem Dash (High Class A; Carolina League) wisely issued a 2010-11 community report today, touting the many successes for both the ballpark and the city, including job creation, revenue generation and community outreach.
“I’m pleased to share information with the community about our team’s very positive first year at BB&T Ballpark,” Dash President Geoff Lassiter said. “Ticket sales and sponsorships were strong, and we appreciate those families and businesses who demonstrated their support for the Dash. We’re even more excited about information in the report that shows the team’s economic impact on the community in terms of job creation, bringing visitors downtown and outreach to local nonprofit groups.”
“About 70 percent of the contractors used in the construction of the ballpark were from Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad, and more than 90 percent of them came from North Carolina,” he added. “At the time of the ballpark’s opening last April, the Dash and our food service providers created 345 full- and part-time jobs. We believe that local job creation was one of the most important things our organization accomplished last year.”
According to the report, the Dash also partnered with more than 100 local nonprofit organizations during 2010, including work with Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, Boy Scouts of America, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Toys for Tots and Habitat for Humanity. The Dash MVP Program partnered with 80 schools from throughout the Piedmont Triad to reward students for reaching learning goals as designated by their teachers. More than 43,000 students participated in the program.
You can view the full report at the Dash website.
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