Infinite Energy Arena, formerly Gwinnett Center.
The mega 750,000-sq.-ft. Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Ga., has reached an $18-million, 20-year naming rights deal with Infinite Energy, allowing the center to go forward with major renovations and expansions.
Gwinnett Center — along with its arena, convention center and performing arts center — all have changed names after the naming rights deal was announced last week.
The venue sits on a 90-acre lakefront campus and will carry the Infinite Energy flag, allowing the venues to expedite renovations and expansions, said General Manager Joseph Dennis.
“We're extremely excited about the deal,” he said, noting that Infinite Energy approached Gwinnett Center and its board about the naming rights deal. “They visited several venues and they visited us. The thing that clicked is our management style and company culture are so similar.”
Dennis prides himself on taking good care of employees that in turn helps provide top-notch service to customers, which is in line with Infinite Energy's company culture, he said.
The entire deal happened extremely fast.
“We got the thing done in less than two weeks,” Dennis said. “In our business, we felt like we needed a (national) brand.”
Infinite Energy is a natural gas company that operates in Florida, Georgia, New York, New Jersey and Texas.
The deal specifically gives the venue $850,000 annually or the first 10 years and $950,000 for the next 10 years, allowing for renovations and expansions that weren't possible without such funds, Dennis said.
“We're right in the start of a major renovation and expansion,” he said, highlighting that the convention center was built in 1992, and the rest opened in 2003, therefore improvements are necessary. “It's starting to get some age on it. There are some major, major dollars that need to be spent on it.”
Specifically, Dennis said that they're looking to expand their conference center from 50,000 square feet of open hall space to 100,000 square feet or more of open hall space. They're also going to add nearly 2,500 seats to the arena that currently has roughly 10,500 seats.
The biggest news is a new 300-room, full-service Marriott Hotel that will be built onto the convention center. Dennis doesn't have the exact date when the hotel will break ground, but he said that all of the expansion plans and renovations are now possible with the naming rights deal.
“(Infinite Energy) is going to invest a lot of money in this community,” said board secretary Tom Martin, who is also the CEO of Gwinnett Community Bank. “They are a good upstanding company, and they think like we think around here. We think they will be a great partner.”
Additionally, the center suffered — as did many businesses across the nation — during the recession, Martin said.
“It's just exciting news, and I think it's going to be a great boost to this area,” Martin said. “With the slow down, we had to readjust, and we saw business drop dramatically. This is a really good sign that business is doing better and things are really looking up.”
The CEO of the Infinite Center is equally excited about the deal and exposure for his company.
“For the last 17 years, Georgia has been an integral part of Infinite Energy’s growth, and by purchasing the naming rights to Gwinnett Center, we now have the opportunity to make a larger impact within the community,” Infinite Center CEO Darin Cook said in an email. “As a company, we have always been committed to giving back and finding ways to serve our customers better, which aligns perfectly with the mission of Infinite Energy Center. We’re excited to help create lifelong memories for residents of Gwinnett County and the state of Georgia at large for many years to come.”
New signage will be updated throughout the property this fall, along with a new logo for the renaming of each venue.
Infinite Energy Theater
The new names are as follows:
• Infinite Energy Arena. Formerly named The Arena at Gwinnett Center, the 13,000-seat arena is home to the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators and NLL’s Georgia Swarm.
• Infinite Energy Forum. The 50,000-sq.-ft. exhibit hall formerly known as the Gwinnett Convention Center features 23 meeting rooms and a 21,600-sq.-ft. grand ballroom.
• Infinite Energy Theater. With 708 seats, the former Gwinnett Performing Arts Center is used for dramatic stage productions, intimate concerts and corporate presentations.
“I think it's exciting news,” said board member Bucky Johnson, who is also the mayor of the city of Norcross/Gwinnett Municipal Association.
Interviewed for this story: Joseph Dennis, (404) 304-9690; Tom Martin, (770) 476-2775; Bucky Johnson, (678) 361-7108