How do you get big corporate partners?

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Posted by Joe Johnson, Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 5/16/99 10:22 AM MST


In Reply to: How do you get big corporate partners? posted by Kate Leach on 5/15/99 9:50 PM MST:



While the Fortune 500 sponsors a ton of teams and I think that we are far from through mining that vain, I think that there is a VAST untapped sponsor list out there.

Specifically, I think we should go after more folks like Bill and Brian Beatty.

I am very serious. Forget about the Fortune 500, I'm talking the Beatty Billion. I can't speak for your area, but Within 100 miles of Detroit are 1000's of non-descript brick buildings housing the worker bees of the auto industry: tool & die shops, proto-type shops, specialty equipment manufactures, plastic injection mold makers, etc.

I am convinced that with the right message, we can make a good percentage of the owners of these businesses supporters of FIRST.

My suggestion to any high school team looking for a sponsor is to put together a flashy road show and a group of students, head for a commercial section of your local community, and start knocking on doors asking for 1/2 hour of time to make your case.

Don't forget to end with a specific ask for cash/machine time/engineering time.

Good luck.

Joe J.