TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (April 18, 2016) – McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. in Mobile on Saturday was named the winner of the first-ever “Small Business Game Changer” by the Business Council of Alabama (BCA) and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, University of Alabama Athletics’ multimedia rights holder.
McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. was awarded a complimentary 2016 Alabama football sponsorship for the entire season. McAleer’s also will receive corporate partner benefits including hospitality, game tickets, in-venue logo recognition, and exposure through the game day publications and Crimson Tide Radio Network.
“The Business Council of Alabama understands that small businesses provide the majority of jobs for Alabamians and in so doing are the economic engines of Alabama,” BCA President and CEO William J. Canary said. “A University of Alabama season football sponsorship will be a game-changer for McAleer’s Office Furniture Co. and the Business Council of Alabama is proud to provide McAleer’s this platform.”
Melissa McAleer Cross, president of McAleer’s Office Furniture Co., McAleer founder Jim McAleer, BCA 2013 Chairman Carl T. Jamison, shareholder of JamisonMoneyFarmer, PC, and Nancy Wall Hewston, BCA Vice President for Communications, Strategic Information and Federal Affairs, were on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the announcement.
During the presentation Cross echoed Canary’s statement about how the “Small Business Game Changer” will literally be a game changer for the second-generation business started by Jim McAleer.
“We are both graduates of the University of Alabama, so we couldn’t be more excited to win a corporate sponsorship of one of the greatest football teams in the history of the sport,” Cross said. “We are incredibly thankful to the Business Council of Alabama and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing; it is organizations like these, people like my Dad and small businesses like McAleer’s that make the state of Alabama great!”
Last August, the BCA and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing aligned to announce this first-of-its-kind opportunity for a state-based business with 50 or fewer employees. Businesses in good standing with the BCA could enter online between Sept. 1, 2015 and Jan. 31, 2016. The other entry requirement was submitting why a 2016 Alabama football sponsorship would be game-changer for their small business.
“I wrote the essay as a tribute to my father Jim McAleer, who founded McAleer’s Office Furniture 37 years ago and made it the success it is today,” said Cross.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for an Alabama-based small business that will derive immense visibility throughout the entire football season and beyond,” said Jim Carabin, general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing. “McAleer’s is very deserving of this sponsorship, and we’re excited to work with them on the various components.”
A panel of judges reviewed the submitted applications blindly based on the creativity, originality, and values and principles expressed in the 150-word entry. The panel was the current chairman of the BCA, the BCA Small Business Committee chair(s), a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a representative of the National Association of Manufacturers, and the current chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama.
“Small Business Game Changer” was open only to small businesses located in the state of Alabama with good-standing BCA membership status. Additional eligibility restrictions applied.
Crimson Tide Sports Marketing is a property of Learfield, which has a deep presence in the college athletics landscape nationwide. It manages the multimedia and sponsorship rights for more than 120 collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas, and supports athletic departments at all competitive levels as title sponsor of the prestigious Learfield Directors’ Cup.
Learfield also provides its collegiate partners access to professional concessions and ticket sales; licensing and trademark consulting; digital platform expertise; and venue and technology systems through its affiliated companies.