Corporate opportunities
Griffin said the companies have changed since Saucon Valley’s first go-round with the Open 30 years ago.
“When I did this in ’92, and then in 2000, every single time, the Lehigh Valley business community had changed dramatically,” Griffin said. “Back in ’92, Bethlehem Steel was still a force and Union Pacific was here with its headquarters. It was a very different landscape.”
Griffin said minor league sports, such as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Phantoms, were still years away and the only major summer event at the time competing for sponsorship dollars was Musikfest.
This year’s roster of local sponsors is a long one including the Valley’s two biggest employers — Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s University Health Network.
“There’s a certain level of competition between the health networks but they have come together cooperatively in a complementary fashion to support this championship so that every constituent coming, whether it’s players, fans, media, whomever volunteers, they have an enhanced experience,” Griffin said.
St. Luke’s has its Health and Wellness Center near the main spectator entrance. It features games, a skeletal sensor in three-dimensional spacing, a virtual reality experience showing the human body, body composition testing and a demonstration of health technology devices.
Through the week it will also feature famous local athletes, such as Pro Football Hall of Famer and Allentown native Andre Reed; and Easton’s Larry Holmes, the former heavyweight boxing champion, for autograph sessions.
“I think the most important thing is we want to educate everyone about all the different aspects of health care that people don’t know about, but do it in a way that’s fun, interactive and innovative,” said John Graham, St. Luke’s senior network administrator for fitness and sports performance.
Graham says the tent at the Senior Open is by far the biggest one he’s taken part in. More than 200 St. Luke’s employees will take turns manning the center through the week.
“This was really a step up for us,” Graham said. “We’ve done NASCAR, we’ve done a variety of things, but to have the platform that we have here and have the ability to bring medicine and wellness together, it’s a major change.”
Meanwhile, Lehigh Valley Health Network is sponsoring the 19th Hole, a party area that will feature games, a sports bar and concerts. Martin Guitar sponsors the stage and will display its products, Wind Creek Bethlehem will run interactive games and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will sponsor a 9,000-foot putting green.
“This is a brand new concept for the Senior Open and honestly, we have so many activities in there that have never happened at any USGA event,” Griffin said.
LVHN will also sponsor the tournament’s Junior Experience Tent.
The Open’s 2,000 volunteers will be looked after by Service Electric Cable TV & Communications, which is sponsoring the 3,200-square-foot air-conditioned tent that will serve as a center of operations for all volunteer activities.
“We are so pleased that many local companies stepped up to partner with us for this event,” Mike Starner, senior business development & government affairs manager at Service Electric, said in a statement.