Waste Management Locks Up Phoenix Stop Through 2025
/Excellent news for the Scottsdale tour stop and one of the most effective sponsors on the PGA Tour, especially after the rumor mill had Waste Management possibly pulling out after this year's event is played Super Bowl weekend.
Maybe it was a just a negotiating ploy, because the company announced a 10-year extension.
For Immediate Release:
Waste Management Extends Sponsorship with PGA TOUR by 10 Years
PHOENIX, Ariz. (December 4, 2014) – The PGA TOUR, Waste Management (NYSE: WM) and tournament host The Thunderbirds announced today a 10-year sponsorship extension, which becomes effective once Waste Management’s original agreement expires upon completion of the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Waste Management has sponsored the tournament since 2010.
“The Waste Management Phoenix Open has been a very successful partnership and we set the bar high for sustainability in sports,” said David Steiner, Waste Management president and CEO. “This title sponsorship has engaged our customers, elevated our brand, told our transformation story, and afforded us the real privilege of educating hundreds of thousands of individuals on ways to lead a more sustainable lifestyle at home, in our communities and at our workplaces. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the PGA TOUR and The Thunderbirds and keeping the Waste Management Phoenix Open the greatest – and greenest – show on grass.”
In addition to being the PGA TOUR’s most highly attended tournament, annually drawing more than 500,000 spectators, the Waste Management Phoenix Open is also recognized for the sustainability initiatives implemented by its title sponsor and host organization, including the award-winning Zero Waste Challenge.
“We are absolutely delighted that Waste Management will continue as a valued partner of the PGA TOUR and The Thunderbirds,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “Since becoming title sponsor, Waste Management has done a wonderful job of applying its environmental initiatives to the Waste Management Phoenix Open to make it a truly green week, a particularly impressive achievement with more than a half-million fans attending each year.”
“We are very excited to be continuing our relationship with Waste Management,” said Tom King, Big Chief of The Thunderbirds. “While not unprecedented, a 10-year extension is a true sign of Waste Management’s commitment to the game of golf, their ongoing sustainability efforts and The Thunderbirds’ ability to continue to enhance the lives of those in need through charitable giving.”
Deleting the part about winning awards to the part where they are the standard bearer not only on the PGA Tour, but all sporting events:
The Zero Waste Challenge saw zero waste from the tournament being sent to a landfill for the first time in 2013 and completed a repeat performance in 2014 with 100 percent of waste diverted to recycling, composting and waste-to-energy facilities. To help achieve this, Waste Management replaced every trash can with 6,000 recycling and compost bins. The company also established three Zero Waste Stations – repurposed from Waste Management dumpsters – that are staffed with experts to help fans put materials in their proper place.
The Zero Waste success was validated by the Council for Responsible Sport (receiving Gold Certification, the first awarded to a PGA TOUR event) and UL Environment (Zero Waste to Landfill validation, the highest designation possible).
Other “green” initiatives include: 100 percent of the electricity to power the tournament being purchased from renewable energy; Waste Management trucks on site running on clean-burning natural gas to transport materials from the course; and substantial water savings achieved by using “greywater” from concession kitchens in the onsite portable bathrooms.
