5thAvenueVik
Active member
For years, I thought the best way to build up corporate sponsorships for Portland State athletics was to pursue organizations that were, of course, here in the metro area that wimply had the financial wherewithal and reserves, and the means to somehow benefit from supporting Viking athletics. /users/31/07/37/smiles/880372.gif
I thought a good target would have been the "consortium of automobile dealerships" like Tonkin, Thomason, Carr, Alfonso, etc. as Portlander are hot about cars and they seem to concentrate a great deal of wealth among them.
This idea, as it turns out, does not work. The reason being that car dealers want to sell cars to everybody and, thus, not exclude Duck fans or Beaver fans. They decided they would be philanthropical, but to a widely pleasing cause, that of public K-12 education.
The same thing applies to the Dary Farmers of Oregon. They will not concentrate their largess to a single university, nor will Pacific Office Automation. They will not be exclusive---because it hurts their business. /users/31/07/37/smiles/eusa_sno.gif Thus, we have
Rule #1: We need to concentrate on corporations for sponsorship for whom a posture of exclusiveness to Portland State will not adversely affect their overall business image. /users/31/07/37/smiles/595146.gif
Any Portland company having 'Viking' in its name seems a natural candidate (e.g. Viking Windows). You can't fault a company for having a name in common. They absolutely will condition support based on their level of interest which is related to the quality of the product you are offering. /users/31/07/37/smiles/784240.gif
That is another reason why we have to continuously improve the game day experience. /users/31/07/37/smiles/594399.gif
When sponsors like Joe's take us on, they are doing so to the exclusion of all others and that takes an optimistic if not unshakeable belief in the future vision of the athletics program to make this sort of investment. Joe's is first and foremost a Portland institution and a supporter of Portland State athletics to the exclusion of all others. /users/31/07/37/smiles/269784.gif
It helps tremendously that Peter W. Stott is also a Portland State alum. What other corporate sponsors would be at home among our exclusive consortium of companies? Certainly not the Dairy Farmers of Montana! /users/31/07/37/smiles/700923.gif
What about Henry Weinhard's brewery? The McMinnamin's are surely OSU fans. What other Portland institutions would have vested interest exclusively in the future vision of Portland State athletics? The great benefit being that it is a program they helped create and it is right here (not way down there), convenient to their access. Portland State can conceivably become the next Boise State. It is a matter of will and organization. /users/31/07/37/smiles/smily34.gif
I thought a good target would have been the "consortium of automobile dealerships" like Tonkin, Thomason, Carr, Alfonso, etc. as Portlander are hot about cars and they seem to concentrate a great deal of wealth among them.

This idea, as it turns out, does not work. The reason being that car dealers want to sell cars to everybody and, thus, not exclude Duck fans or Beaver fans. They decided they would be philanthropical, but to a widely pleasing cause, that of public K-12 education.

The same thing applies to the Dary Farmers of Oregon. They will not concentrate their largess to a single university, nor will Pacific Office Automation. They will not be exclusive---because it hurts their business. /users/31/07/37/smiles/eusa_sno.gif Thus, we have
Rule #1: We need to concentrate on corporations for sponsorship for whom a posture of exclusiveness to Portland State will not adversely affect their overall business image. /users/31/07/37/smiles/595146.gif
Any Portland company having 'Viking' in its name seems a natural candidate (e.g. Viking Windows). You can't fault a company for having a name in common. They absolutely will condition support based on their level of interest which is related to the quality of the product you are offering. /users/31/07/37/smiles/784240.gif
That is another reason why we have to continuously improve the game day experience. /users/31/07/37/smiles/594399.gif
When sponsors like Joe's take us on, they are doing so to the exclusion of all others and that takes an optimistic if not unshakeable belief in the future vision of the athletics program to make this sort of investment. Joe's is first and foremost a Portland institution and a supporter of Portland State athletics to the exclusion of all others. /users/31/07/37/smiles/269784.gif
It helps tremendously that Peter W. Stott is also a Portland State alum. What other corporate sponsors would be at home among our exclusive consortium of companies? Certainly not the Dairy Farmers of Montana! /users/31/07/37/smiles/700923.gif
What about Henry Weinhard's brewery? The McMinnamin's are surely OSU fans. What other Portland institutions would have vested interest exclusively in the future vision of Portland State athletics? The great benefit being that it is a program they helped create and it is right here (not way down there), convenient to their access. Portland State can conceivably become the next Boise State. It is a matter of will and organization. /users/31/07/37/smiles/smily34.gif