Bridgestone Americas has renewed its naming rights for Bridgestone Arena through at least '25, "further deepening the global tiremaker's investment" in Nashville's downtown, according to a front-page piece by Jamie McGee of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Bridgestone Americas President & CEO Gordon Knapp said that "he 'would be surprised' if a contract with the arena was not renewed beyond" that time frame and that "turnover in sports venues' names in general is not ideal." Knapp said, "One of the things we believe in is supporting something over a long period of time. You see a lot of corporations support a professional team, support an arena or a venue, and I don't think anybody wins when that changes up every couple of years." Bridgestone first bought the naming rights to the Predators' arena in '10 and renewed in '15. The latest commitment was made "two years before the contract expires." Knapp "declined to share the price" of the sponsorship but said that it was "competitive with other, similar venues." In recent years, under the leadership of Predators President & CEO Sean Henry, Bridgestone Arena has "gained international recognition for its operations" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 12/14). Bridgestone Americas Chief Administration Officer & Exec VP Christine Karbowiak on why the company chose to renew its naming rights deal two years before the current deal expired said, "We didn't want to take the chance of someone else sneaking in there" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/13).
