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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Contact: Tom McCain
203-853-4449
COASTAL FAIRFIELD COUNTY SPORTS COMMISSION RELAUNCHES
WITH REVAMPED BOARD, LOCAL REPS IN 15 COMMUNITIES
Announces Formation of Fairfield County Sports Hall
of Fame,
"Sports Night" Fundraising Event & Corporate Support from
EMCOR
ESPN and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer,
Former UConn Hoop Star Chris Smith, World Boxing Champ Travis Simms
Named to Advisory Board
NORWALK, CT - "The Coastal Fairfield County Sports Commission,
Inc." announced today it has re-launched as an independent, non-profit
organization, as well as its plans to create a Fairfield County Sports
Hall of Fame and a "Sports Night" fundraising event to honor
a "Sportsperson of the Year" in each of the 15 communities
it serves. The announcement was made by the Sports Commission's new
President Tom Chiappetta.
Formerly an arm of Connecticut's Coastal Fairfield County Convention
& Visitors Bureau, the Sports Commission has reconfigured its board
and expanded its mission in representing the sports community of Fairfield
County. The organization will now have a Commission representative working
directly in each of the 15 local cities and towns in its jurisdiction.
The CFCSC will maintain its close working relationship with the Convention
& Visitors Bureau, which will continue to provide financial support,
along with the Commission's newest founding partner, EMCOR Group Inc.
of Norwalk.
"In its first two years, through the hard work and leadership
of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sports Commission made gigantic
strides in establishing itself as a vital supportive force in the Fairfield
County sports community," said Chiappetta. "Building on that
success, the newly configured Commission is set to play an even more
far-reaching and significant role in enhancing the area's quality of
life through sports, particularly focusing on youth sports and fitness
initiatives."
While continuing its efforts to lure high-profile sporting events
at all levels to the area, the Commission will also act as a one-stop
resource for the county's sporting activities. By instituting a local
contact system in each of its 15 communities, The Commission will now
be a more unifying vehicle on the Fairfield County sports scene.
Local commission representatives have been named for 10 of the15 communities,
with the remaining five town reps to be announced in the immediate future.
The Commission reps include: Easton-Mike Reisman; Fairfield-Dave Blagys;
Greenwich-Pete Mandras; Monroe-Paul Moyse; New Canaan-Jay Egan; Norwalk-Mike
Mocciae; Stamford-George Ritchie; Stratford-Pat Patusky; Westport-Dan
DeVito; Weston-Michael Carter and Wilton-Tim Murphy.
Corporate support from the CVB and EMCOR, and others to be announced
soon, gives the Sports Commission the foundation to continue to submit
bids for events as well as provide office space and staffing.
"Without the backing of the Convention & Visitors Bureau
and EMCOR, our goals would have little chance of being accomplished,"
said Chiappetta. "Their support is paramount to the Commission
moving forward in all aspects."
One of those key initiatives is the creation of a "Sports Night"
dinner to recognize the contributions of sportspeople in each of our
15 communities, as well as be the showcase for the induction of the
Fairfield County Hall of Fame honorees. Details for this special night,
planned some time in mid-2005, are still in development and will be
announced in the coming weeks. The fund-raising event will be the first
step in establishing a foundation overseen by the Sports Commission
that would provide financial grants and scholarships to area youth.
The Sports Commission also announced three more highly-regarded sports
personalities to join an already impressive advisory board. ESPN Inc.
and ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer brings his vast sports television
expertise to the board. Bodenheimer is also Co-Chairman of Disney Media
Networks. Bridgeport native and Kolbe-Cathedral High graduate Chris
Smith, the University of Connecticut men's basketball all-time leading
scorer, and Norwalk's Travis Simms, the reigning WBA Jr. Welterweight
World Boxing Champion, add two more stellar athletes as advisors.
Other prominent advisory board members include Greenwich resident
and NBA Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich, U.S Women's National Soccer Team
standout Kristine Lilly of Wilton, Stamford's Bennett Salvatore, a long-time
NBA referee, and Bobby Valentine, a former major league manager who
is now the skipper of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. From the media
side, New Canaan's Chris "Mad Dog" Russo from WFAN radio rounds
out the advisory group.
The Coastal Fairfield County Sports Commission was founded in June
2002. It has played a significant role in several area sporting events,
including hosting the USILA North-South All-Star Game at Sacred Heart
University (June 2003), and working with Fairfield University to secure
the 2004 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First & Second Round
games at The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport (March 2004).
EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE:EME), a Fortune 500 company with over $4 billion
in annual sales, is a global leader in mechanical and electrical construction
and facilities services. EMCOR gives life to new structures and sustains
life in existing ones by its planning, installing, operating and maintaining
the sophisticated systems that create facility environments---such as
electrical, mechanical, lighting, air conditioning, heating, security
and power generation systems---in virtually every sector of the economy
and for a diverse range of businesses around the world. EMCOR's knowledge
in action slogan reflects its rare combination of global reach and local
execution, combining the strength of an industry leader with the knowledge
and care of 140 locations worldwide. The 26,000 skilled employees of
EMCOR have made the company, in the eyes of leading business publications,
among America's Most Admired and Best Performing. EMCOR's diversity---in
terms of the services it provides, the industries it serves and the
geography it spans---has enabled it to perform consistently. The Company's
strong financial position has enabled it to attract and retain among
the best local and regional talent, to undertake and complete the most
ambitious projects, and to redefine and shape the future of the construction
and facilities services industry. Additional information on EMCOR can
be found at EMCORGroup.com.
Located just 35 miles from New York City, Coastal Fairfield County
includes the cities of Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, and Shelton and
a mix of sports facilities found in the urban and rural areas that comprise
the region. An estimated 26 million people are within 250 miles of Southwestern
Connecticut, which offers easy access by air, rail and car. As the third
largest home of Fortune 500 companies, the region offers a multitude
of possible sponsorship opportunities, in addition to a variety of sports
venues.
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