Lorain discusses marketing Campana Park naming rights

LORAIN — Campana Park could have a new name. Superlative Group, a marketing consultant firm, presented a contract to help the city establish naming rights for the sports complex during a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting on Monday. The potential $69,500 contract would be split into two phases, $24,500 to study the park and establish the value of the space to sell naming rights to regional businesses, and $3,750 a month during the sale process for up to 12 months. That $69,500 contract would be paid using a $75,000 grant from Brilliant Source Energy the city received last year, Public Property Manager Lori Garcia said. If a naming rights contract is reached, Superlative would take 15 percent per year of the fee paid to the city. Kyle Canter, Superlative Group's chief operating officer, said the majority of his agency's work is with municipalities, including securing a recent $1 million naming rights deal for Solon's Community Park's stage. The agency focuses on 10-to-20-year agreements, Canter said. The city would see not only the annual payment from the corporate sponsor roll in, but could see an investment in volunteers from the company, he said. After the newly renovated park opened last spring, City Council approved ordinances allowing for naming rights bids for Campana Park, The Pipe yard and the new softball fields at the sports complex. The ordinances allowed for city workers to solicit naming rights from area companies, with the sole stipulation of keeping the Campana name in the mix. The park was named for Pasquale "Patsie" Campana Sr., who founded P.C. Campana Inc. The elder Campana died in 1993 and the park was named in his honor in 2000. The site previously had a naming rights contract with FirstEnergy, dubbed The Pipe Yard Stadium powered by FirstEnergy Solutions from 2011 to 2019. Mayor Jack Bradley said trying to market the park in-house became a large task for the Public Properties Department and Garcia suggested the city would get "more bang for (its) buck" by contracting with a professional firm with a larger sponsorship reach. Councilwoman Mary Springowski, D-at Large, and her husband, Tom, wanted to see the Campana name incorporated in the final name for the sports complex in recognition of one of the city's "great families," and Lorain's industrial heritage. Safety/Service Director Rey Carrion said those significant improvements over the past five years have seen the space become a regional hub for games and tournaments — with more than 1,000 games there over the 2025 season. Upgrades to Campana Park were a joint effort by the city and Lorain Schools, alongside a $1.6 million grant by the National Park Service. The $5.2 million investment between the grant and two entities saw a total rehab of The Pipe Yard stadium and the addition of new soccer fields and a softball field and renovations of the 11 existing baseball fields. The city's $1.6 million was part of its American Rescue Plan Act funds. The school district's match was part of its Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds. The contract is expected to go before Council at its next regular meeting 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at City Hall. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.