The service contracts awarded to area
vendors and distributors by the Reno Aces
are providing a significant boost to the
bottom lines of those businesses.
Mike Loewer, general manager of
Coors-New West Distributing, says opening
day crowds of more than 25,000
consumed more than 80 kegs and 150
cases of bottled and canned beer in just
three days.
"It is a very large account and a very
prestigious one," Loewer says.
Coors-New West Distributing currently
is using regular full-time staff to service
the Aces account, but once special events
season rolls in Coors-New West
Distributing has every major event in town
except for the Best in the West Nugget
Rib Cookoff and Reno Air Races, Loewer
says the company will add additional
staff starting the second week in May.
Loewer says the financial strength of
the corporate brand helped him win the
contract.
"Because of Miller-Coors Brewing
Company we were able to secure dollars
out of a national company, and we
brought in Luce and Sons to make it
affordable," he says. "Having multiple
companies, along with Miller-Coors, was
able to give me the opportunity to secure
this account at a very fair rate."
Coors-New West Distributing signed a
five-year contract to supply adult beverages
to the ballpark. It also made significant
investments signage at the ballpark,
such as on the scoreboard and at the
Coors Light Party Zone.
"When you come into a large venue,
signage is key," Loewer says. "Having the
dominant signage package we have
shows brand ownership of the entire facility.
"This is the biggest thing to happen in
Reno since they built the Silver Legacy,"
he adds. "I spent lot more money on this
than most would, and there is a lot of
incremental stuff that comes along with it
and incremental labor that is spent. Its not
just cut check and you are done. But we
are prepared to do that I think that is why
my brand is the No. 1 brand in northern
Nevada."
Nick Spallone, general
manager/owner of Tahoe Supply, credits
the hard work of one of his top salesmen,
Gary Archie, as the main reason his company
was awarded the contract for cleaning
products.
"Gary worked unbelievably hard to
try and put things together," Spallone
says. "He has a can-do attitude, and he
put that as one of the facilities he wanted
to see our products go into. I have some
incredibly talented people who work for
me; they are real go-getters in trying to
drive new business our way."
In addition to cleaning products,
Tahoe Supply will provide all the cleaning
tools for the public areas of the stadium,
as well as the garbage bags, paper products
and hand soap for the Aces 72
home games.
A full crowd at a ballgame generates
a staggering amount of trash, Spallone
says. Tahoe Supply uses bags made from
recycled plastic, and the cleaning chemicals
used at the ballpark are Green Seal
approved.
"They have really made a commitment
to make it a nice environment, but also to
protect our environment as well,"
Spallone says. "Typically those products
are not always the cheapest way of doing
things. The Aces made a nice investment
when it comes to that."
Spallone says initial estimates for
paper products at the park were pretty
accurate, and that a shortage would have
been "disastrous."
"We have a very simple goal," he
says. "The items we sell, people shouldn't
have to worry about. I think we created
that over that first weekend."
The Siena Hotel Spa Casino also will
benefit, as it provides 20 rooms to visiting
teams as part of a host hotel package.
