Resch Center naming rights extension

ASHWAUBENON - When the arena was built, Green Bay businessman Dick Resch paid nearly five million dollars to put his name on it for 20 years. Eight years after the building opened, Resch is looking to make sure his name will stay up even longer.

"He just wants his name to be remembered," said county executive Tom Hinz. He told FOX 11 Resch contacted the county and offered to pay another $2 million to keep his name on the building for an additional 20 years. That means the arena will be called the Resch Center until the year 2040.

"He wants his grandchildren to remember his name and what he did for this community," Hinz said. "I think that's a wonderful way to keep your legacy alive."

Under the agreement, Resch would pay the county $100,000 a year for 20 years. Those payments would start this year. The money will be used to help make improvements to the arena.

"The building can always use that little TLC that comes with that additional funding," said Ken Wachter from PMI, the company that operates the Resch Center.

"We have one of the nicest arenas in the country. Let's keep it that way," Wachter said. "That excess money will help us keep operations running and maintenance and capital projects for the future."

The deal is less than some previous naming rights deals, like the Alliant Energy Center in Madison , which was $6.3 million for 20 years, and the U.S Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, which was $2 million for 6 years.

But other deals are in the same ballpark, like Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, MI, which was $1,500,000 for 15 years, and O'Brien Field in Peoria, IL, which was $1,050,000 for 7 years. Wachter told FOX 11 naming rights deals are not as lucrative as they used to be.

"You're finding that those kinds of things are harder to come by today," Wachter said. "So to wait for another 12 years to try to renew a naming rights deal is silly when you have somebody willing to give you money right now to basically improve your facility."

A county committee unanimously approved the naming rights extension Monday night. The deal now goes to the full county board for final approval.

FOX 11 tried to contact Dick Resch for this story but he did not get back to us.