Published On: 05.08.21 | 

By: Doug Segrest

Alabama company takes on branding for Regions Tradition swag, credentials

Robert Fuentes of Maridan saw the Regions Tradition as an opportunity for his company to get its brand in front of a huge crowd. (contributed)

When Robert Fuentes was first approached about supporting the Regions Tradition, he didn’t bat an eye.

He is a member of Greystone Golf & Country Club, so he knew the impact the PGA Tour Champions major had on his community.

But as he and his team talked with Tyler Sherman of the Bruno Event Team, which manages the tournament, Fuentes realized something else.

“The Regions Tradition is a huge part of the local landscape,” said Fuentes, vice president of the Maridan Corporation, based in Pelham. “It’s a weeklong event, as opposed to a three-hour football game, so it’s an opportunity for a company to get its brand out in front of a large crowd. And for us it’s close to home.”

Agreeing to sponsor the tournament was a no-brainer for Fuentes. The next step was just as obvious for all involved.

“We used to order hundreds of credentials out of California,” said George Shaw, a member of the Bruno team and the Regions Tradition tournament director. “We realized we had a company in town that could do it for us efficiently and at an attractive cost. In return, we could support a local business.”

The credentials – for tournament staff, media, guests, VIP – was just the start. In Maridan, the Tradition suddenly had a new partner that could supply anything it needed to market the tournament: wristbands, parking tags, goodie bags for volunteers, lapel pins for volunteers.

Maridan, based in Pelham, is supplying credentials, goodie bags, wristbands, parking tags, lapel pins for volunteers, hand sanitizer and other branded items for the Regions Tradition golf tournament. (contributed)

This year, Maridan is supplying 1-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer stamped with the logo of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, one of the major sponsors of the tournament, for distribution to those who attend the Tradition.

“We’re basically a one-stop shop for many of the items they provide at the tournament,” Fuentes said.

Fuentes joined the Maridan team more than three years ago, then picked up the Regions Tradition account in time for the 2019 tournament (the 2020 Tradition was canceled due to the pandemic). He said his initial job out of college, working for an old Regions banking rival, proved invaluable.

“Those 10 years of banking at the beginning of my career, I wouldn’t trade for anything,” he said. “It exposed me to all kinds of businesses — how they operated, what they looked for – and gave me a wide range of experience.”

He also learned another lesson: Work with those you trust.

“Regions is our main bank,” he said. “We know we can count on them.”

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Maridan does business across the Southeast, often supporting corporate and small-business marketing efforts with branding assets.

So when there’s a major event just down the road, it made sense to support the Tradition any way Maridan could.

“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Fuentes said. “We provide preferential pricing for the Regions Tradition based on the amount of business we’re getting, and we are also a sponsor of the tournament. So we give back, as well.”

This story originally appeared on Regions Bank’s Doing More Today website.