The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a proposed Jackson County, MI ballpark has expired, as a naming rights partner for the facility did not emerge.
Commanding Curve and its president, Dan DuBois, had an MOU in place with Jackson County that called for the construction of a ballpark for an independent Frontier League franchise at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. As was noted here last month, Commanding Curve was searching for a naming rights partner, which might have paid $3 million to place its brand on the $8-12 million ballpark. Commanding Curve was seeking to have a deal in place by February 28, which was when the MOU expired.
Ultimately, the organization did not come to an agreement with a sponsor, thus ending the MOU for the Fairgounds site. DuBois could continue the effort, though that might require securing another location. More from MLive.com:
While DuBois and his team won’t continue to seek a naming rights partner, they are willing to restart conversations with any potential groups that might reach out to them. They would, however, need to start over in the search for a stadium site.
Commanding Curve sought a business that would provide $300,000 annually for 10 years for naming rights. There were five serious groups in conversation for the partnership, DuBois said. The companies – inside and outside Jackson – included Fortune 500 companies, insurance companies, healthcare organizations and financial institutions.
DuBois believes he lost the battle in “the echo chamber,” with skeptics and naysayers who said the idea would flop.
“Leadership circles tend to contain people that spread information among themselves, and Jackson is no exception,” DuBois wrote in the email. “Somehow, some misinformation got thrown in the echo chamber which became fact to that group of people.”
The MOU received multiple extensions along the way, as it was originally set to expire in June 2016, only to be bumped back to August 2016 and then February.
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