Valero has been a sponsor of the Alamo Bowl since its inception in 1993, and became the title sponsor in 2007 after the event had gone a year without one. Valero's willingness to become the title sponsor of the Alamo Bowl followed its earlier moves to become a part-owner of the San Antonio Spurs and to take on the title sponsorship of the Valero Texas Open, which is now one of the top events [image-nocss] in terms of fundraising for charity on the PGA Tour.
Over the last 10 years, the Valero Alamo Bowl has the second highest viewership among all the bowl games ESPN televised highlighted by two of the Top 5 most-watched bowl games in ESPN history (#1 in 2006 and #4 in 2005), the company said.
"Valero has been a terrific partner since our first year, and we are ecstatic with their decision to renew their title sponsorship," said Derrick Fox, president/CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. "Valero is a San Antonio-based corporation that is a respected and admired industry and community leader, and their renewal is a great way to kick off our improved team selection rights."
Valero executive vice president and CFO Mike Ciskowski, a member of the Alamo Bowl board, said, "Valero is excited to renew its Alamo Bowl sponsorship. Valero has always believed in giving back to the communities where it does business, and as San Antonio's largest publicly traded company and one of its top employers, we feel it's important to support major events like the Alamo Bowl."
Factoring in the out-of-town fans, the games have resulted in more than $215 million direct economic impact on San Antonio and another $18 million in measurable media exposure from the 107 million viewers watching the national television broadcasts.
"Valero is a perfect fit," said Gene Dawson, chairman of the 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl. "We believe we have the best title sponsor in the business as their support has been instrumental in our efforts to grow the bowl game for the benefit of San Antonio."
This season's Valero Alamo Bowl will take place in the Alamodome on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010, at 8:00 p.m. CST on ESPN.
Valero Energy Corp., San Antonio, with 2008 revenues of $119 billion, owns and operates 16 refineries throughout the United States, Canada and the Caribbean with a combined throughput capacity of approximately three million barrels per day, making it the largest refiner in North America. Valero is also a leading ethanol producer with seven ethanol plants in the Midwest with a combined capacity of 780 million gallons per year, and is one of the nation's largest retail operators with approximately 5,800 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean under the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar and Beacon brands.
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