April 19th, 2021 - The dazzling new home of UMBC Athletics and the premier entertainment venue in southwest Baltimore County is getting a belated third birthday gift – a brand new name.

The facility will now be known as Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena.

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.

UMBC President Dr. Freeman Hrabowski said, "The partnership between UMBC and Chesapeake Employers Insurance represents not only an investment in our campus, but also in the region. This is an opportunity to elevate our facility, our University, and our local economy."

“We at Chesapeake Employers Insurance are honored to partner with UMBC, a premier University System of Maryland institution,” says Tom Phelan, CEO of Chesapeake Employers Insurance. “This partnership bridges our corporation with UMBC students, staff, and alumni to form a symbiotic relationship with shared values and a commitment to excellence relevant to education and business.”

In addition to naming rights, this partnership establishes a platform for UMBC and Chesapeake Employers Insurance to engage in additional collaborations, including opportunities for student internships and hiring, and applied research projects.

UMBC Director of Athletics Brian Barrio said, “We are building a program where we can celebrate community, while we help welcome new students and prepare them for meaningful careers, and welcome alumni home. This building, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, is a central part of that vision. And great visions require great partners.”

“We’re extremely proud of what we’ve been able to do here in Baltimore,” said OVG Facilities’ Tiffany Sun, General Manager, Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. “By securing some of the biggest names in live entertainment, we’re bringing people into Baltimore and onto campus to see this wonderful University. We look forward to working closely with UMBC and our new naming rights partners at Chesapeake Employers Insurance to continue creating memories for the region.”

About Chesapeake Employers Insurance

Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance Company is Maryland’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance. It is a nonprofit, non-stock, private corporation. Chesapeake Employers has served as a continuous, guaranteed source for fairly priced workers’ compensation insurance since 1914.

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 UMBC Athletics

UMBC sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletics programs at the NCAA Division I level. The “Retrievers” are members of the America East Conference. In addition to the men’s basketball team’s recent acclaim, the Retriever men’s soccer team reached the NCAA College Cup (national semi-finals) in 2015, and the men’s lacrosse, softball, and men’s swimming and diving teams won America East titles in their most recent year of competition.

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.