An Iowa company has been selected to manage the new arena in downtown Evansville. Project Director John Kish has been authorized to begin negotiations with VenuWorks for a final contract. The Evansville Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved another committee's recommendation to hire the company, which manages 36 facility in 17 communities.

Evansville, Ind. -- The Evansville Redevelopment Commission (ERC) voted unanimously this morning to direct Arena Project Director John J. Kish to begin negotiations with VenuWorks for management and coordinated operations of the new Evansville Arena, which will open this November. VenuWorks, based in Ames, Iowa, manages 36 facilities in 17 communities.

“I am pleased that the Redevelopment Commission heeded the recommendation to select VenuWorks to manage the new Evansville Arena,” said Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “VenuWorks has a proven track record of successfully opening new facilities in communities similar to Evansville, and I believe they have what it takes to help the City make the new Evansville Arena a great success,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

The decision to recommend VenuWorks to the ERC was made by a non-partisan committee that, according to Kish, unanimously agreed that VenuWorks was the best choice to manage and operate the new Evansville Arena. “The committee was particularly impressed by the commitment and involvement from VenuWorks’ senior management, as well as the company’s focus on mid-sized communities,” Kish said.

Steven L. Peters, president of VenuWorks, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to manage Evansville’s new arena. “This community is building a wonderful new facility that holds tremendous promise for the future of Evansville. We are honored that VenuWorks was selected to manage the arena and we will utilize our experience and resources to ensure it is a success.”

The new Evansville arena will be the region’s center for sports and entertainment, designed to host basketball, hockey, concerts, exhibitions, and shows for audiences as large as 11,000.

Source: City of Evansville & Inside INdiana Business http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=46180