# New Orleans Pelicans agree to Arena naming rights deal with Smoothie King



## girllovesthegame

> Since it opened in 1999, the New Orleans Arena has been without a corporate name.
> 
> But on Thursday, it will officially become the Smoothie King Center.
> 
> After extensive negotiations that lasted for nearly a year, the Pelicans and Smoothie King agreed to a 10-year naming rights deal that includes an option for the company to renew for an additional 10 years.
> 
> ``It’s gigantic,’’ Pelicans president Dennis Lauscha said Wednesday afternoon.``Aside from the branding of the team, besides the practice facility, finding a naming rights partner was key to the long-term financial viability of this franchise in this market.We put it right at the top of the list of things that needed to be accomplished.’’
> 
> Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. But the total value of the deal is believed to be estimated around $40 million.
> 
> A formal news conference is scheduled for Thursday to announce the deal.
> 
> The most recent naming rights deal in the NBA came this past August, when the Portland Trail Blazers sold the naming rights to the Rose Garden to Moda Health, a health and dental insurance company that operates in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The facility is now called the Moda Center.
> 
> Smoothie King is headquartered in Metairie and the company has more than 650 locations in the United States and Asia.
> 
> The Pelicans considered offers from two other undisclosed companies, along with Smoothie King. But Lauscha said Smoothie King won out because it was a local company with aggressive growth plans similar to the franchise’s objectives.
> 
> ``This really gives us a great opportunity for us to grow our brand internationally and domestically from New Orleans,’’ said Wan Kim, Smoothie King owner and CEO, who purchased the company in 2012.
> 
> New Orleans Arena has been the Hornets/Pelicans only home since the franchise relocated from Charlotte, N.C. in 2002.
> 
> Before the new naming rights deal could be consummated, the NBA hired an independent agency to test all of Smoothie King’s products in order to make sure they met the league’s policy against banned supplements.
> 
> ``To test all of those products so that they approve it, took a very long time and a great deal of investment from Smoothie King,’’ said Rita Benson LeBlanc, the Pelicans vice chairman of the board.


http://www.nola.com/pelicans/index.ssf/2014/02/new_orleans_pelicans_agree_to.html

*Smoothie King Center to be unveiled at Thursday press conference*



> Upon purchasing Smoothie King in July 2012, Wan Kim immediately debated whether he should keep the Louisiana-based company’s headquarters in the New Orleans area, with larger Southern cities including Atlanta and Dallas looming as attractive destinations. However, after learning more about his new employees – many of whom are longtime Crescent City residents – Kim eventually realized that the best place for Smoothie King was where it began in 1973.
> 
> Kim’s decision to stay mirrored that of New Orleans’ NBA franchise, which has weathered significant adversity during the past decade to cement itself as a permanent fixture in the Pelican State. The team even renamed itself the “Pelicans” in April 2013.
> 
> Kim and the New Orleans Pelicans now have something else in common: Starting Thursday, the basketball team’s 17,000-seat home venue will be known as the “Smoothie King Center.” The Pelicans and Smoothie King will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday to announce that they’ve reached a 10-year agreement on naming rights for the facility, which has been home to the local NBA franchise since 2002. It opened in 1999.


http://www.nba.com/pelicans/blog/smoothie-king-center-be-unveiled-thursday-press-conference-2514

*New Orleans Arena to Become Smoothie King Center Following Sale Of Naming Rights*



> The New Orleans Pelicans have sold the naming rights to the New Orleans Arena to Smoothie King. The Arena will be renamed Smoothie King Center. This confirms the initial reports from Will Hibert.
> 
> The sale of the naming rights will give the Pelicans another major income stream. The deal is expected to be for around $40 million dollars over 10 years. The sale removes one more negative discriminator between the Pelicans and the typical NBA team: Only Madison Square Garden (Knicks) and the Palace at Auburn Hills (Pistons) lack a naming rights deal among the 29 NBA arenas (Lakers and Clippers share Staples).
> 
> *Background on Smoothie King*
> 
> Smoothie King is privately owned company that started in Kenner, Louisiana (that’s part of the Greater New Orleans area for the non-locals) in 1973. The founders, Steve Kunau (note the initials) and his wife Cindy Kuhnau, originally developed the idea for the store after concocting fruit drinks to help Steve deal with his food allergies and low blood sugar. The first Smoothie King was a health food and vitamin store that featured the fruit drinks. The drinks caught on, and Smoothie King began franchising. In 2003, Wan Kim opened the first international Smoothie King in Seoul, South Korea. He was soon able to open more franchises, and he purchased the company in 2012 using his own company SK, Inc. (Smoothies Korea . . . those initials again). The organization is still headquartered locally.


http://www.bourbonstreetshots.com/2...-king-center-following-sale-of-naming-rights/


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## RollWithEm

Ha! Awesome! I love Smoothie King. This actually makes me more excited about going to games. Hopefully Smoothies will be flowing liberally.


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## girllovesthegame

I'm just glad it makes the team even more financially stable. 



> Sean Kelley ‏@SeanKelleyLive 15h
> The nickname "The Blender" was coined by me during a frozen moment during the polar express Pelicans tour in JAN. Frigid temps can inspire


The Blender. LOL.


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## RollWithEm

Nobody wants to be inside The Blender.


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## Marcus13

lol this is a funny one


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## girllovesthegame

The Blender
The SK Center

With the New Orleans Arena I mainly only said "The Arena".


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## RollWithEm

girllovesthegame said:


> The Blender
> The SK Center
> 
> With the New Orleans Arena I mainly only said "The Arena".


You mean just like nobody ever says "The Mercedes Superdome"?


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## girllovesthegame

RollWithEm said:


> You mean just like nobody ever says "The Mercedes Superdome"?


Exactly. LOL. It's just the Dome for me. People, especially locals, know what that means and where that is.

Some funny photoshops in this article.

http://www.bourbonstreetshots.com/2...-and-more-defending-the-smoothie-king-center/


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## RollWithEm




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