American Kenda Rubber Co. Ltd. has announced that it’s an associate partner for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA team’s playoff run.
Kenda made the announcement on April 16 at its technical center near Akron, Ohio.
The Cavaliers’ mascot, Sir C.C., and Ahmaad Crump, the team’s in-arena host, appeared during the event, which was attended by Kenda employees.
Brandon Stotsenburg, vice president of automotive for Kenda, said the partnership includes on-court advertising, Kenda rally towels and pre-game local programming.
“We view the NBA as a younger audience and an upcoming audience,” said Stotsenburg, when explaining the reasoning behind the partnership.
He added that Kenda is looking for sponsorship opportunities with demographics that are “outdoor and active,” which align with NBA fan demographics.
Kenda had sponsorship with the Cavs through the team’s 2016 championship season.
“Kenda is proud to support Ohio’s NBA team in the upcoming playoffs,” Jimmy Yang, CEO of Kenda, said in a statement from the company.
“We believe that high-performance products designed in America for Cavalier fans are a perfect match for Kenda.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers host a first-round series against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, April 20.
During the April 16 event, Stotsenburg also teased Kenda’s upcoming sponsorship with the Cleveland, Ohio-based MLB team, the Cleveland Guardians. The deal would include behind-home plate sponsorship for all 81 Guardians home games.
The event also gave Kenda a chance to highlight its technical center, which is led by Tom Williams, the company’s vice president of engineering.
Stotsenburg said the Kenda team focuses on four main areas of operation at the technical center: design work, research, material development and testing.
