Last week Texas Tech University announced a new Donation from United Supermarkets totalling $9.45 million.The large gift will go towards improvements in the on-site arena at Texas Tech – which will also be renamed from the United Spirit Arena to the United Supermarkets Arena in honour of the gift.
University Chancellor Kent Hance, thanked the company for their donation, “As an industry leader and great corporate citizen, we are truly thankful to United Supermarkets for their continued support of Texas Tech and are proud to bear their name on such an important facility.”
Whose idea was it?
A quick persusal of the United Supermarkets website reveals their interest in philanthropy, “One of the greatest privileges we enjoy is to be able to make a positive impact in the communities we serve.” This coupled with their deep Texas roots makes the donation an unsurprising one. However why donate to Texas Tech in particular? You guessed it – it’s about the relationships.
Just take a look at the image from Prospect Visual which shows several of the strongest connections between the school and United Supermarkets President and CEO, Robert Taylor. With this image in mind, it’s not difficult to imagine who might have influenced the direction of this corporate donation.
The Relationship Mapping Blog 