May 24th, 2021- Oak View Group Facilities, managers and operators of UMBC’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, today named Wade Johnson, a seasoned veteran in the sports and entertainment industry, as Director of Corporate Partnerships for both the on-campus arena and UMBC Athletics.

Johnson, who joins Oak View Group after serving most recently as Corporate Partnerships Manager at Six Flags America in Bowie, MD, will be responsible for overseeing and executing the advertising, sponsorship, and corporate partnership sales for OVG Facilities at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena and UMBC Athletics.

Prior to his time with Six Flags America, Johnson also was Director of Sales at the Maryland Blue Crabs minor league baseball team, Regional Sales Director at Peak Sports Management in Dallas, TX; and General Manager at Austin Peay University properties and athletics.

“Wade has a passion for discovering new ways to maximize partnership value for local and regional businesses, especially ones that support student-athletes,” said Tiffany Sun, Oak View Group’s General Manager at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. “We’re fortunate to have him as part of our team and we look forward to the new engagements Wade can create across the state of Maryland and here in Baltimore.”

Previously known as the UMBC Event Center, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena opened in February 2018. Six weeks later, the UMBC men’s basketball team celebrated its remarkable NCAA Tournament victory before frenzied supporters on its hardwood floor.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the Retriever volleyball team compete in the state-of-art facility. Additionally, all 400-plus UMBC student-athletes regularly utilize the building’s academic, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and other athletics’ department services.

Oak View Group Facilities manages and operates Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, securing and scheduling concerts, family shows, conventions, trade shows, all UMBC commencement ceremonies, and community events such as cheerleading competitions, career and job fairs, and more. In just three short years, OVG Facilities has entertained over 400,000 people at more than 300 events in the venue. OVG Facilities, in partnership with many of the top concert promoters and live content providers, helped bring Bob Dylan, Shinedown, for King and Country, the Avett Brothers, The Millennium Tour, Rob Thomas, all sold-out performances, as well as the late Charlie Daniels, Travis Tritt and The World Famous Harlem Globetrotters to UMBC.

About UMBC

UMBC is a leading public research university known for innovative teaching, relevant research across disciplines, and a supportive community that empowers and inspires inquisitive minds. UMBC combines the learning opportunities of a liberal arts college with the creative intensity of a top research university. The University serves 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and is one of the country’s most inclusive education communities. U.S. News & World Report has named UMBC a national leader in innovation and undergraduate teaching, and Times Higher Education has honored UMBC for social and economic impact.

About Oak View Group

OVG Facilities is successful in delivering new event content and programming opportunities for its clients. The company is experiencing a 587% growth since 2018, including 10 new accounts in 2020. OVG is currently working on six new arena construction projects, including the Seattle Kraken’s Climate Pledge Arena, and the New York Islanders’ UBS Arena, both of the National Hockey League; as well as the new arena in Manchester, England Co-op Live the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, the Coachella Valley Arena in Coachella Valley, CA, and the new 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Savannah, GA.

Oak View Group Facilities, a division of the Oak View Group, was founded by Irving Azoff, Tim Leiweke, and supported by Silverlake. The company specializes in event programming, venue assessments, and security and emergency preparedness. Oak View Group Facilities can also provide full management services for arenas, stadiums, convention centers, and performing arts centers. Oak View Group is the largest developer of sports and entertainment facilities in the world with $4.5 billion of deployed capital across eight projects.