As reported by David Lazzarino online earlier this week for the Leduc Rep, The Village of Thorsby has a new recreational benefactor and the agreement. Arctic Spas, a company that manufactures and sells spas and other related products, paid $80,000 for the naming rights to the Thorsby recreation centre over a ten year term.
“The Village of Thorsby council is tremendously honoured with the announcement. It came as a wonderful surprise to us that Arctic Spas, a very aggressive business in the village, wanted to sponsor the naming rights of the complex,” said Mayor Barry Rasch.
“Too often we don’t realize but this is monumental for a small community to receive sponsorship on a recreational facility — a community of 1,000 people,” he said. “You only see these opportunities in cities and I think that in itself — Arctic Spas showing leadership and dedication to supporting the community for years to come — truly is something to be extremely proud of and truly needs to be celebrated and recognized.”
Coun. Ruth Harrison from Leduc County echoed Rasch’s sentiments. “It’s only through collaboration and co-operation that this type of agreement or event can take place. I can see nothing but better things happening for this facility,” said Harrison. “Municipalities have a lot of things that they could sell. We have boards in our arenas, we have posts outside, we have holes in our streets,” she said.
Arctic spas president Darcy Amendt spoke of the company’s connection to the village and the importance of the event. “The community’s give us a lot. The decision to move here was a great decision,” said Amendt, adding in a market where some companies are struggling to find employees and others are having to lay them off, they have found a good fit in Thorsby. “The quality of the work is unbelievable.”
He admitted having the company name on the building should offer a good opportunity to reach a family demographic who are regular visitors to the complex. “That’s our target market,” he said. “You may not be in the market for a hot tub today but if you come here 20 times over the next 10 years with your kid who plays hockey, down the road you may actually say, ‘I should get a hot tub.’ That’s got to be an advantage.”