Voice of the Giants BOB PAPA
Thank you very much for joining us today for the start of a very exciting new partnership between two iconic brands, TIMEX and the New York Giants. A strong heritage, shared values and a very loyal and customer base link TIMEX and the Giants together.
Now before we get started I would like to take a minute to recognize some key people here with us today. First we are extremely honored to have Mrs. Joan Tisch. Mrs. Tisch, welcome. Our esteemed guests from TIMEX, President and CEO of the TIMEX Group Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, President of TIMEX, Adam Gurian, TIMEX professional triathlete and coach, Alex McDonald. From the Giants perspective, Giants President and CEO John Mara, the Head Coach of the New York Giants, Tom Coughlin. The General Manager of the Giants, Mr. Jerry Reese. And Vice President of Medical Services Ronnie Barnes. Also two members of the team, Shaun O'Hara and Osi Umenyiora will be joining us shortly.
Before I invite our guests to elaborate on this exciting partnership I want to call out how important this partnership really is. It was established to create opportunities for endurance athletes such as Alex McDonald to collaborate with professional football players such as Osi and Shaun and Ronnie's training staff and the medical staff and the Giants' strength and conditioning coaches to help bring new training ideas and products and solutions to athletes of all levels and also help the Giants with their on the field performance. Now it is fair to say that the Giants performance on the field will benefit from the training technology that TIMEX will bring to the table. As you can see the TIMEX Performance Center and the Giants' outstanding fieldhouse are just a tip of the iceberg as far as this partnership and what it will bring on the field to the Giants and the TIMEX brand as well.
At this time I would like to introduce Mr. John Mara.
Giants President and CEO JOHN MARA
Thank you Bob.
We are very proud to announce today our partnership with the TIMEX Group pursuant to which TIMEX has secured the naming rights for our new training facility and corporate headquarters. The facility will be named the TIMEX Performance Center. TIMEX is making a major commitment to growing its brand and we are very fortunate that they have chosen the Giants as one of the vehicles to help them do so. Our partnership with TIMEX is not your typical marketing partnership or naming rights agreement. It is a working relationship to enhance our mutual operations, namely TIMEX products, our player and coach preparation and training. TIMEX shares our core principles and attributes of loyalty to our customers and striving to be the best that we can be in our respective fields. Both of our companies have deep roots here in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan area. We share a deep sense of commitment to our community and we both have an unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility. All of those factors help to forge our relationship. We believe that a partnership between a professional sports team and a brand whose products track and measure an athlete's training is a first of its kind. We have an opportunity here to not only harness that knowledge for our mutual benefit but through the TIMEX Multi Sport Team Program we have agreed to share that knowledge with athletes around the world. There is one thing that I should point out to our new partner. You have always been known for your precision in all of your timing instruments. What you might not be aware of is that around here we operate under something known as 'Coughlin Time.' All of our clocks and watches are set five minutes early. Say what you will, but all I know is that since we have started on 'Coughlin Time' we have made the playoffs four years in a row and won a Super Bowl. So if it is all the same to you, we are going to stay on 'Coughlin Time.' When we conceived of building this complex, we had two main goals. One was to build a training center that would give our players and our organization everything we need to be successful. And two, it was to find a first class partner who's product or service had relevance to perform in sports, fitness and training. We believe we have accomplished both of these goals and on behalf of the Tisch and Mara families, we welcome TIMEX as our partner and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.
Giants Head Coach TOM COUGHLIN
Thank you. I have been asked many times, but most recently this morning, how do I feel about our new facility? Everyday is Christmas, are you kidding me? Everyday is Christmas. I sit in an office, I look out a window, I look at three magnificent grass fields that will be there for us when we return from training camp. Our players are excited to be here. The very first day we moved here, the players came in and started in the weight room. I think the players recognize probably five different aspects of the facility. One is their locker room. It is a magnificent, huge locker room. We have eighty-nine players in there right now, but it seems that it handles the eighty-nine very well. When we get to fifty-three and the practice squad , the players will have plenty of room to operate. Our weight room; our weight room is second to none. It is a beautiful facility. It allows our players, all of us really, to condition and develop strength, to stay in the best possible condition that we can be in. The third would be our grass practice fields, which are exceptional. As I said, we will have those fields. We have had so much rain this spring that when we return they will be an exceptional facility for us to work on. Our players will enjoy that aspect very much. The field house. I have no idea how anyone can compare this field house with any other field house that I have ever been in. To come from a bubble that has sixty yards to work in, with the sidelines so close that you are worried about a player catching a ball and going off the field, to this magnificent facility, is just amazing. And the thing about it is that it has been done so well with FieldTurf that our players do enjoy working in here. The last aspect that I think the players truly enjoy is the cafeteria. The cafeteria, because we have a bunch of guys who are all-pro in the eating department. To look at this facility and to have the performance name attached to it is a wonderful thing. Performance obviously must be preceded by preparation. Preparation is the key to success and that is what we are all about. The New York Giants, the greatest franchise in the history of football, have a new player today. We are very proud to announce the fact that TIMEX will be an all-pro along with the New York Giants. Thank you.
President and CEO of TIMEX Group Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard
TIMEX and the New York Giants are two icons that have a lot in common. Not the least, a huge, loyal following of fans. It is also history coming together. TIMEX group was founded in 1854, the Giants in 1925. We are bringing a lot of heritage and history to the table. More importantly, for generations, both companies have had great families behind them. For generations, which obviously means, commitment, long term commitment, it means integrity, it means trust. All of us who are in brand building know what that means, not the least in times like this. But when you have been around for a long time -- TIMEX Group for over a hundred fifty year, the Giants for over eighty years -- you always run the risk of becoming complacent. It is very important that we do understand our business by looking backward, but that we really understand that we need to look forward to run our business. Today is all about being forward looking. Out of the twelve great brands that are housed in the TIMEX Group, obviously the namesake brand TIMEX is of particular value to us. We have searched for this opportunity to continue to invest in the TIMEX brand. We are committed to pursuing the right opportunities. Certainly the partnership deal we are announcing today falls in that category. We want to continue to build the power of TIMEX, not only in the U.S. but also internationally. I think it is rightfully said that in recessionary times you have to cut costs intelligently. But I think it is equally true that you also have to invest intelligently. By that I mean when you are in the branding business that you really make sure that you protect and you build your long term brand equities. All crises come to an end and we want to make sure that at the other end of this crisis that TIMEX comes out stronger than ever. The second main reason we find this partnership exceptionally exciting as we transition the TIMEX brand into the twenty-first century, sports and outdoor products based on performance, anchored in performance measurement is the fastest growing piece of our business. The partnership with the Giants that we announced today obviously gives us a whole new opportunity to broaden our consumer touch points with exactly that consumer base. Thirdly, very, very important for us, is that we share with the Giants our unwavering commitment to corporate-social responsibility. Both organizations play a role as good corporate citizens in the communities in which they operate. We are committed to taking care of the environment. We support philanthropic activities where we live. This is a fifteen-year partnership that will mean a lot and play a key role in TIMEX product development in research and design. I hope very much that this is just the beginning of a partnership that will only deepen and extend over time. I want to thank the Mara and the Tisch families for the environment of trust, openness and professionalism conducted during our negotiations. I want to wish the Giants a great season ahead and wish for our joint partnership that this will indeed be of great mutual benefit. Thank you.
President of TIMEX Adam Gurian
Before I begin, I want to formally thank Hans-Kristian and the TIMEX Group Board of Directors for supporting this partnership that we are celebrating today. It is an extremely exciting day for TIMEX. Since I took over as President of TIMEX, about seventeen months ago, one of our priorities has been to identify opportunities to reach a broad base for our strong brand message. Coming on the heels of our announcement last fall, as the timing sponsor of the New York City marathon, today's announcement truly showcases the excitement and energy surrounding the TIMEX brand. As John Mara mentioned, this is not your traditional sponsorship agreement between two organizations. When we set out to look for new opportunities for the TIMEX brand, and who we could work with, we looked for a high profile organization that appreciated the role of research, fitness measurement and training. When we first sat down with the Giants, we were extremely impressed from day one with their interest and desire to collaborate on such a measure. This relationship is truly an opportunity to work together; to develop the best training solutions for both professional and amateur athletes around the globe. We fully anticipate that TIMEX training instruments will play a role in the Giants' success on the playing field. One of the key elements of this relationship is the formation of an advisory committee. This will be compromised of top trainers, from both the Giants and the TIMEX multi-sport team, that will collaborate on developing integrated training solutions for both the professional and amateur athlete. Included on that team will be V.P. of Medical Services Ronnie Barnes and Alex McDonald, who is a coach and athlete on the TIMEX multi-sport team. We are very excited to have them here today to launch this partnership. As the official performance equipment provided for the Giants, the TIMEX brand will also be integrated into the game day experience. In the 2009 season, we will launch our initiative with our "TIMEX Timeouts," which will feature nine to twelve times every game. As 2010 comes on, and the team moves into the great new stadium across the way, we will have the opportunity to utilize the sixteen multimedia visual columns surround the stadium. It is called the "TIMEX Countdown to Kickoff." All the great fans out in the parking lot, enjoying their tailgates, will know exactly how much time they have to get to the field. From a media perspective, we are planning on activating our partnership with a strong presence with the Giants radio network, Giants.com, Giants Game Day television on WNBC and a position with the Giants health and fitness magazine, Giants Health Monitor. Over the next few months we will continue to unveil creative ways that will be utilizing the New York Giants trademark in retail programs including POS and advertising within the New York Giants home territory. Before turning this back over to Bob, I would like to thank the Giants organization's commitment to making this happen since we first sat down in February. In particular Mike Stevens, Doug Smoyer, and John McGuire. Thanks very much.
