Defiant Whisky & The Greensboro Coliseum

WHISKEY RIVER: Greensboro Coliseum recently signed a five-year deal with the Blue Ridge Distilling Co. to brand a portion of its new Ovations VIP Lounge after Defiant, a new brand of single-malt whiskey.

The whiskey’s name comes from Defiant Marine, a marine salvage company in Bostic, N.C. About 16 months ago, Tim Ferris, owner of the salvage firm, built a distillery in Golden Valley, N.C., in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 140 miles southwest of Greensboro.

In Greensboro, the distillery’s deal carries options that could extend the partnership to 10 years with a total value reaching six figures, said Scott Johnson, the arena’s deputy director.

In return for its investment, Defiant received branding on the mirrored glass wall behind the lounge’s bar and provided free samples of Defiant whiskey during the ACC men’s basketball tournament in mid-March, Johnson said.

It is the coliseum’s first hard liquor sponsor. The facility also added North Carolina microwbrewer Natty Greene’s as its new beer partner, said Matt Brown, the building’s managing director.

The lounge, situated on the arena’s ground floor, one level below the main concourse, opened earlier this month for the ACC women’s tournament. It is part of $24 million in total upgrades to the 54-year-old facility, a multiyear project that will be completed in 2016.

For this year’s ACC basketball tournaments, the arena debuted a new $1.5 million Daktronics center-hung video board and 9,000 new cushioned seats in the lower bowl. Irwin Seating Co. produced the new seats.

The installation of 11,000 new seats in the upper bowl began last week. Wireless upgrades, four new suites and expansion of the upper concourse with larger restrooms are also part of the next phase of improvements.

Courtesy of Sportsbusinessdaily.com

By: Don Muret
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/03/25/Facilities/Breaking-Ground.aspx