Long & Foster Real Estate, the nation’s No. 1 independent real estate brand by sales volume, today announced its new corporate partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Athletics Department. The multi-year partnership is the first large-scale sponsorship that Long & Foster has done with the local Richmond university.
“VCU sporting events are among the most popular attractions in the Richmond area, and we’re thrilled to support the university and its Athletics Department,” said Brian Haug, senior vice president and regional manager of Long & Foster in Richmond, Southwest Virginia and Hampton Roads. “As a VCU graduate, I’m especially excited to promote the Rams and give our leading agents the opportunity to share their love of our home team with their clients—a win-win for Long & Foster and VCU.”
As part of the partnership, VCU has renamed the multi-purpose room at its state-of-the-art Basketball Development Center as the Long & Foster Conference Room. This facility is used for business meetings during the workweek and it serves as the hospitality suite for VCU’s major donors before basketball games. Long & Foster also will have a suite at the women’s and men’s home basketball games, and its real estate agents will be able to invite their buyers and sellers to join them in attending the popular sporting events.
“Our agents are very enthusiastic about our most recent partnership with the largest sports attraction in the greater Richmond area,” said Cindy Jez, vice president of regional marking for Long & Foster’s Richmond, Southwest Virginia and Hampton Roads regions. “It affords them the opportunity to support our community and, at the same time, be a player in this new marketing endeavor.”
The multi-faceted partnership includes a number of advertising opportunities, as well as added sponsorships of key VCU events. As an example, Long & Foster is sponsoring the showdown between Old Dominion University and VCU on Dec. 2 at The Siegel Center.
Glenn Hofmann, executive associate athletic director at VCU, shared his enthusiasm for the partnership, noting the similarities between the two organizations. “We like to think of ourselves as Richmond’s athletics program, and Long & Foster has established itself as a leader in our local real estate market,” said Hofmann. “Anytime we can associate ourselves with a brand like Long & Foster, we certainly want to do so.”
Long & Foster has long supported local institutions in the Richmond area, organizing an annual Community Service Day to give back to area organizations and collecting Toys for Tots, among other philanthropic endeavors. The VCU partnership presents an opportunity for the region’s No. 1 brokerage to give back to its local community in a new capacity and to reach buyers and sellers not only where they live, but also where they play—at VCU’s stadiums and arenas.
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