Edward Jones buys naming rights to former TWA dome

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The St. Louis-based financial services firm Edward Jones has entered an agreement to buy naming rights to the sports and convention facility at America's Center, which is home to the St. Louis Rams football team. According to a news release from local Edward Jones investment representative Betty J. Neal, under the terms of the contract, Edward Jones will pay the Rams an average of $2.65 million per year during the course of the 12-year agreement. The contract in-cludes the option to renew for an additional 11 years, which would raise the average to $3.2 million per year. The fee includes naming rights, significant signage on the interior and exterior of the building, and other promotional components.|ret||ret||tab|

The $280 million facility was completed in 1995 and was called the Trans World Dome until late last year, when TWA was purchased out of bankruptcy by American Airlines. Since that time, the facility has been known as the "Dome at America's Center," the release said. |ret||ret||tab|

John Bachman, managing partner of Edward Jones, said the decision to buy the naming rights to the dome came after months of internal discussions and negotiations with the Rams.|ret||ret||tab|

"We believe that entering this contract makes good sense, both for our customers and for our firm," Bachman said. "It will help extend recognition of the Edward Jones name nationally and internationally. That, in turn, will help our firm continue to grow, bringing quality investment services to even greater numbers of people."|ret||ret||tab|

He noted that chance to secure naming rights particularly those for a building that's home to one of the NFL's most successful franchises is a rare opportunity.|ret||ret||tab|

Located in downtown St. Louis, the dome has hosted or will host the Big 12 Conference Football Championships and the NCAA Men's Basketball Regionals, and numerous major rock concerts and conventions. In 1999, Pope John Paul II visited the dome and celebrated Mass as part of a three-day visit to St. Louis. [[In-content Ad]]