We have all heard about the Arena Lease Issue, now is your chance to help! We encourage everyone to go to www.forwardtogethercolumbus.org to sign their petition. By signing this petition you are letting our government and civic leaders know that we are counting on them to solve this issue.
We would also ask for your help and encourage you to talk with your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers about this issue. We are hockey fans - we get it. It is our job to help get the message out to others who may not look under the surface and understand everything that the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nationwide Arena, and the Arena District has brought to our broader community.
The Message of Forward Together Columbus is that "It's not just about hockey". The economic impact of the Arena District is amazing. This impact reaches far beyond the Arena District and very deeply into our community.
In 2oo8, the Arena District provided $29.6 million to our state and local governments and it is estimated to grow to $60.7 million per year over the next ten years. These are dollars that would have to be raised elsewhere or cut from the budgets of state and local governments if it wasn't for the Arena District. (source: the Buser Report)
Among its many accomplishments, The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation has donated over $2.3 million dollars to local charities. Without the Blue Jackets, the Foundation, these donations would disappear. (source: Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation website)
The Columbus Blue Jackets' players and coaches make over 300 public appearances annually in support of local organizations. The financial impact and additional awareness for these organizations is immeasurable. But again, the impact is far beyond the borders of the Arena District and improves the larger community. (source: Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation website)
Volunteers that work the concessions at Nationwide Arena have raised over $500,000 for the organizations they represent in the greater Columbus area. These organizations are often church groups, little league baseball teams, youth dance troupes, school organizations...
These are only a couple of the countless examples of how having a professional sports team in our town has benefitted the larger community. It does not begin to measure the economic impact that is coming into our community from tourists that have made the Arena District their destination, from near and far. It is impossible to quantify the increased awareness of Columbus Ohio on a national level due to the exposure of a major sports franchise and the increased tourism generated.
It is obvious to us, the fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets, that it is not just about hockey. So please, take a few minutes to sign the petition at www.forwardtogethercolumbus.org. Take the time to talk with your neighbors and friends about the great things that have been brought to Columbus along with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Columbus Blue Jackets provide an anchor tenant for Nationwide Arena. Nationwide Arena is the fuel for the economic engine of the Arena District. The Arena District's economic impact enriches everyone's life in the Greater Columbus Community. IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT HOCKEY!
Important Links
Columbus Together
The Petition
The Buser Report
Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation
Nationwide Arena Fund Raising
CBJ in the Community
Economic Facts and Figures
- 170 businesses operate in the Arena District
- Nearly 5,500 people are employed in the Arena District
- Nearly $350 million are earned by employees in the Arena District
- $29.6 million in tax revenue generated in the Arena District in 2008 - projected to grow to $60.7 million annually over the next ten years
- Since 1998 property values in the Arena District have risen 267%
- Countless lives improved through Hats for Heroes and Hockey Fights Cancer Programs
- Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation has donated $2.3 million to local charities
- Immeasurable impact of the growth of youth hockey leagues providing safe and healthy recreation for our children.
- 1999: 150 youth, 350 registered adult hockey players in Columbus area; 1 high school program
- 2009: 4500 youth, 1500 adult registered players; 17 high school programs with 27 varsity, jv or club teams
