Franklin business joins in effort to save Preds

A marketing merchandise company's big idea: Wristbands to raise money toward buying Nashville Predators tickets for charity, much the same way Lance Armstrong raised money for cancer research

Email | Print By Richard Lawson

06-27-2007 3:38 PM — If anyone thought the fan base in Nashville for hockey was anemic, one business has jumped in to disprove that notion.

Franklin-based Blink Marketing, a marketing merchandise company, has joined the increasingly broad effort to keep the Nashville Predators here by launching a drive to sell wristbands that say "Nashville Loves Hockey," the same type of band that Lance Armstrong used to raise money for cancer research.

Daniel Gardner, owner and executive vice president of Blink Marketing, said pre-orders for the bands so far number 750 to 1000. He has had to expand his initial order to meet demand. He came up with the idea only last Friday, and the orders have come in through word of mouth without a major push.

The bands will sell for $5. Of that, $1.50 will cover the cost of the bands, and the rest will go toward buying tickets for Nashville Predators games. A web site is being created that soon will sell the bands directly. Gardner said he will wait for the game schedule to come and buy tickets for games that might look like they ought to draw 14,000. "We will donate the tickets to the Nashville Predators Foundation," he said.

The initial pre-orders came after an email Gardner sent out yesterday. "We are confident that hockey can work here and, given time, Nashville can remain competitive with other traditional hockey markets," he wrote. "Taking the team out of Nashville will not only negatively impact US fans, but could be the first step in moving the NHL completely out of Southern markets. It certainly would hurt our image in Nashville and contradict the growing demand for corporate relocation which affects all local businesses."

Red Pony Restaurant in downtown Franklin has jumped onboard to sell them. Another Franklin business, communications and web development company JLB Works, designed the Internet site for selling the bands.

With this effort, Blink joins others in the drive to get the team's average paid nightly attendance to 14,000 to ensure the Predators stay in Nashville. Our Team Nashville, a coalition of business and civic leaders, has an all-day rally set for July 19 to drum up ticket sales.

Another fan-based effort includes a group named SaveThePredators that has been selling T-shirts through its web site. John Fesler, an organizer of SaveThePredators with site creator Jim Leutgens , said about 700 T-shirts have been sold so far. The profit will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee to buy hockey tickets to give to kids. Fesler said about $4,200 to $4,500 has been raised.

The group also will be at the July 19 rally selling T-shirts and conducting a silent auction that Fesler said includes among its items a Vince Young 2006 Rookie of the Year football. Felser is hoping to get the Tennessee Titans quarterback to sign the ball before the auction. And the group has a benefit concert scheduled for July 10 at The Rutledge to sell T-shirts and Predators tickets, while raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters.