Following the recent announcement of Perficient’s partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA team, I sat down with Perficient’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Bill Davis to discover more about our new partnership. Continue reading to hear his perspective and learn how we’re making a difference in the Minneapolis region.
Hi, Bill. I appreciate your time today. Could you share more about Perficient’s exciting new NBA partnership?
Hey, Madison. Thanks for this. Yes, we’re really excited to announce this partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves. For more than two decades, Perficient has had a strong presence in the region. The Twin Cities and the entire area has a tremendous business culture – there are 15 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Minneapolis, for example. We’re talking about important enterprises like Target, Best Buy, 3M, US Bank, and more. And we’ve been partnered with many of the biggest in the community for years, driving innovation and customer experiences through digital transformation. We’ve got hundreds of employees in the city as well. It’s a great place to live and work – great culture, tons to do outdoors – just make sure to have your heated parka ready to roll a few months a year.
And, this partnership adds to our growing group of brand ambassadors, which include other great teams – the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, Atlanta United of the MLS, St. Louis Cardinals of the MLB, and the St. Louis Blues of the NHL. And of course, everyone’s favorite Discovery Channel Battlebot, Minotaur!
As you can see, we make a variety of investments that span focus areas, markets, and functions. With these strong partners, Perficient is reaching fans across the globe while showcasing our brand and sharing our love for competition and performance.
READ MORE: Learn About Perficient’s Brand Ambassadors and Partnerships
Wow, it sounds like we have quite a few fantastic sports partnerships. Why did Perficient choose to partner with the Minnesota Timberwolves specifically?
Several reasons. For starters, we’re really excited about the team and the momentum they have in the league and the market. Anthony Edwards is on the verge of superstardom and surrounded by other great athletes like Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and more. New ownership is coming in – Marc Lore, an e-commerce visionary and, of course, baseball legend Alex Rodriguez. The excitement for the team and where it’s headed is palpable – ticket sales are up, routine sellouts, TV ratings are up – everything’s headed in the right direction.
But what’s really interesting is that they play at the Target Center, which is literally right next door to our office there. They’re our next-door neighbors turned partners. You can leave our office and be in their building in 30 seconds. That proximity creates all sorts of opportunities for us to get creative as well as make a difference by participating in events, building close relationships with the franchise, and of course, being able to readily host our executive clients and prospects at a game easily. Meet us at the office, drop your stuff off and let’s go to the game type of fun. And finally, great people – everyone we met through this process in their organization demonstrated genuine interest and enthusiasm in working with Perficient and crafting a partnership that will be valuable to all of us.
Minneapolis is also a great market for Perficient with plenty of future growth opportunity in STEM. Since launching Perficient’s Bright Paths Program in partnership with Strayer University’s Hackbright Academy and DevMountain, we have helped advance STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented communities and constituencies, with one of our Bright Paths cohorts taking place in Minneapolis. We’re proud to continue inspiring students to explore a career in technology.
READ MORE: Perficient Launches Bright Paths on a National Scale
What does our partnership look like on and off the basketball court?
Our brand will of course be prominent. Whether you are watching the game on television or at the arena, you’ll see Perficient front and center.
We’ll also be creating experiential moments. Our Perficient ‘Honorary Kids Captain Program’ will deliver an exclusive, on-court pre-game experience for select young Timberwolves fans. This is similar to programs we have with other teams and markets, and I love seeing it expand here.
How will this partnership make a difference for our community?
We’re big believers of giving back, making a difference, and doing what we can to make a positive impact each and every day. The Timberwolves is an organization that cares deeply about the community, and through our partnership, we are already having conversations about teaming up for volunteerism opportunities in Minnesota.
We have the potential to greatly impact lives through organized volunteer efforts and our commitment to giving back to the greater community.
Thank you for this great discussion. I’m looking forward to watching our partnership with the Timberwolves come to life. Is there anything more that you would like to share?
Thank you. Recently, we celebrated this exciting new venture with a party on the Timberwolves practice courts. Several of our Minneapolis colleagues worked on their free throws, three-point shots, and other basketball skills. Based on what I saw, we’ll leave the basketball to the Timberwolves going forward and just stay focused on enabling the world’s leading enterprises and biggest brands!
But it’s certainly an exciting day and we’re thrilled to get going with what I know is going to be one of the NBA’s most exciting teams to come for many years.
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
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