Saturday, August 2, 2008

Why High, rather than Fry, Beeman, Roda and Steinman?

Is anyone surprised about the relationship between The High Group and the Convention Center as described in the recent NewsLanc.com posting?

"Past contracts between the developer of the hotel and the public authority stated that S. Dale High shall have the right of first offer with respect to naming rights, and that proceeds from the sale of naming rights would be shared 50/50 between the authority and Penn Square Partners (PSP)."

If the Convention Center does pursue naming rights, I am next expecting principles of the other members of the "Big Five" to also be offered naming rights: John Fry (Franklin & Marshall), Tom Beeman (Lancaster General Hospital), The Steinman Famly (Lancaster Newspapers) and Craig Roda (Fulton Bank). I am not against naming rights for th Convention Center as naming rights will certainly generate revenue and offset Lancaster County expenses.

But why does a member of the big five have "the right of first offer with respect to naming rights"? I advocate the idea of offering naming rights to the highest corporate bidder and not solely to a member of the Lancaster County untouchable "Big Five".