Credit/First Community CU
First Community Credit Union in Beloit, Wis., announced that it has built upon its existing partnership with a Rockford, Ill.-based collegiate summer baseball team, the Rockford Rivets, with a three-year naming rights sponsorship.
The team's home venue, Rivets Stadium in Loves Park, Ill., will be called Rivets Stadium at First Community CU Field during the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons as a result of the $317 million credit union's sponsorship. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"First Community Credit Union has a long history of supporting the communities that we serve. Our partnership with the Rockford Rivets is a great example of this philosophy," First Community President Jack Gill stated. "Not only are the Rivets a great entertainment value, their foundation supports amateur baseball in the [Wisconsin-Illinois] Stateline area."
Gill said the sponsorship will be paired with the release of a new Rockford Rivets debit card, noting that for every new Rockford Rivets debit card issued, the credit union would donate $5 to the Swinging for the Future Foundation, a Rockford Rivets partner charity.
Throughout the Rockford Rivets 2024 season, which begins May 27, First Community and the baseball team will be hosting local chamber events and small business Saturday gatherings, as well the First Community Credit Union T-Shirt Toss, an in-game promotion. In addition, on the season's opening day, First Community will sponsor a T-shirt giveaway for the first 500 fans.
Steve Malliet, general manager of the Rockford Rivets, commented, "Having good partnerships is a key to the Rivets' long-term success. Aligning with a first class and well-respected community partner like First Community Credit Union is a huge step in the process. We greatly appreciate Jack Gill and everyone at First Community Credit Union for making this partnership investment in the Rivets. The future is very bright for both the Rivets and First Community Credit Union and we cannot be more excited about it!"
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
