Little Rock, AK-based Alltel Corp., a telecom and
information services company, has signed a ten-year, $6.2M
deal with the Jaguars to rename Jacksonville Municipal
Stadium as Alltel Stadium. The proposal will be presented
to the Jacksonville City Council on Tuesday, "with a final
vote expected in mid-May." Under the Jaguars' lease, naming
rights revenue is split between the team and the city
(Jacksonville Jaguars). Alltel Chair Joe Ford said Friday
that Alltel will "headquarter" a new division in
Jacksonville, according to Earl Daniels of the FLORIDA
TIMES-UNION. Ford: "The Jacksonville area is an important
key to Alltel's strategic plan for future growth, and name
recognition is an important part of operating a successful
business." Alltel employs 1,100 in its Jacksonville office
and ranks as the city's 15th largest employer (FLORIDA
TIMES-UNION, 4/19). The city had given the Jaguars a
deadline of "the end of May" to sell naming rights before
the city "would have taken over negotiations," according to
Daniels. The Jaguars "have tried for two years" to sell
naming rights to the stadium (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 4/17).
