BSS makes the grade by developing the largest marketing-based university sponsorship in the U.S.

California State University, Fresno needed private funding to build a new basketball arena. They looked to Bartram Sponsorship Strategies to develop a strategy, recruit sponsors, and negotiate a naming deal.

Working closely with the CSU system, Fresno State, students, academic leaders, community supporters and project detractors, we developed a strategy for building value that met the needs of all constituents and provided a positive environment for eventual partners.

After finalizing the strategic alliance program, we recruited lead sponsors. Several other major sponsors were recruited by the University using our structure and materials. The sponsor recruitment process itself took a year and a half and illustrates our patience in establishing the best relationship possible. Ultimately, we developed and negotiated a $40 million naming and exclusive dispensing rights deal between CSU-Fresno, the Pepsi Bottling Group, and Save Mart Supermarkets.

Our work at CSU Fresno took the project from a projected 8,000 seat basketball arena to what Save Mart Center is today: a major league 18,000 seat landmark that has become an automatic tour stop for major entertainment acts. Save Mart Center remains the largest privately-funded complex of any university in the United States.