Sponsoring It
On the surface, it would appear that about the only thing a local golf tournament and an airplane manufacturer have in common is gravity. Then you consider where much of Boeing’s business interests lie: Asia.
“We have a very wide customer base,” says Susan A. Bradley, a Boeing spokesperson who is the company’s tournament liaison. “We’ve found that our customers around the world are interested in golf. They follow it. They are students of game. They come (for the tournament) in and it’s very exciting for them to engage with world-class golfers.
“From a business strategy, it’s a platform to entertain our customers and help strengthen relationships,” she adds. “Many relationships are built on golf courses. It’s a nice platform for us.”
Bradley says that customers and suppliers, particularly in Asia, come to the tournament year after year just to hang out with the old pros, either at receptions or by playing in the pro-am.
“Often times, the ability to play with these players is the highlight,” she says. “It’s really a life highlight to golf with these legends.”
Boeing became the title sponsor in 2005, underwriting the tournament for an undisclosed amount. It was originally a three-year deal, but earlier this year the company agreed to sponsor the tournament through 2012.
“Our decision to participate was a very nice fit with the community.” Bradley says. “After our headquarters relocated (to Chicago in 2000), there was a lot of concern in the Puget Sound community that Boeing would not be an active partner any longer.
“We found we really needed to do something to reassure the community that it’s important to our operations, our employees and the well-being of the community (to become involved). Golf was one of many opportunities that allows us to do that.”
The PGA’s Miller Bradley, who focuses on the business side, says, “When these guys reach 50 it’s like a light bulb goes on. This is a second career for them. They understand the business aspects. They attend all the parties and social functions.”
Tour President Mike Stevens added that since all the players make the cut, “they can be more relaxed. They have an understanding of how important the fans and the sponsors are.”
Susan Bradley recognizes that element in the players. Boeing has a skybox along the 18th hole and every year, many of the players stop by to show their appreciation.
“We will have players stop in for refreshments. They get to meet our customers. There are some private dinners. We’ll arrange a tour of our Renton facility. There’s a mutual respect. We respect their talent and they respect what the Boeing Company means to so many people.
“We feel it’s a good investment, not just for our customers, but our community. Plus, the proceeds go to support a good cause, the Heart Institute of Virginia Mason. Many or our employees have benefited from that.”
Boeing employees benefit in other ways — hundreds serve as volunteers each year, while those who would rather watch from the grandstand can gain free admittance by showing their company badge.
Giving to Charity
If you’ve been given an early screening test to evaluate your risk for cardiovascular disease, chances are you can thank an old golfer for that. And if your children have received nutritional and fitness advice to guide their decisions as they grow, you can thank old quarterbacks and cornerbacks.
Golf tournaments do not exist simply for the enrichment of a handful of elite golfers. To the longtime credit of professional golf, every tour — Champions Tour, PGA Tour, LPGA, Nationwide and LPGA Futures — leaves a charitable legacy.
That legacy goes back to 1938, when the PGA first began providing funds from tournaments to help local community organizations. Since then, more than $1 billion has been raised and distributed to more than 2,000 charities across North America. Another $1 billion is expected to be raised within the next decade.
The Champions Tour picked up that theme when it began in 1980 – as the Senior PGA Tour. When the Boeing Classic was being pieced together by Tod Leiweke in 2004, he needed to secure a local charity that would benefit from the proceeds.
“So he came to us,” says Michael VanDerhoef, President of the Virginia Mason Foundation.
It was a fortuitous phone call. In just three years, the tournament has raised more than $2.4 million for the Heart Institute at Virginia Mason.
The tangible result of that largesse is the institute’s mobile heart testing risk-reduction program. The Virginia Mason medical staff take the unit into businesses and shopping areas to provide free testing. The Know Your Numbers program furnishes printouts for an individual’s blood pressure and cholesterol readings. This can help determine the individual’s risk for cardiovascular disease.
“We probably would have figured out how to do it eventually, but we would not have done it as quickly or as comprehensively (without the Boeing charity),” VanDerhoef says. “It accelerated our efforts.”
The testing is even done during the tournament. There are also dozens of helpful heart-shaped stickers along cart paths to give patrons tips on keeping their hearts healthy.
In addition, there are two other charitable events during the week under the tournament’s umbrella that directly benefit kids. The NFL-influenced Rumble at the Ridge has raised more than $260,000 in three years. That goes to the Virginia Mason Medical Center’s Nutrition and Fitness for Life program.
“It’s all about getting kids active, aware of their health and growing up to be healthy adults,” VanDerhoef says.
Then on the Monday following the tournament, the course is made available to the First Tee of Greater Seattle for a charity event. This raises funds for First Tee’s efforts to provide golf education and opportunities for young golfers in the region.
“We’ve reached a high point pretty quickly,” VanDerhoef adds. “But we know we can still build it bigger and better.”
For more information on the Boeing Classic, or to find out how you can become involved as a volunteer, or by donating to tournament charities, visit www.boeingclassic.com.
In addition to writing for Cascade Golfer, Bob Sherwin works as a freelance writer for the New York Times, Associated Press and MLB.com.