The U.S. Ski Team and U.S. Snowboarding have a new partner to put them in motion in their prep for the next Winter Games. Putnam Investments CEO
Bob Reynolds unveiled the Boston-based fund firm's exclusive mutual fund sponsorship with the two national teams Wednesday morning at the company's One Post Office Square headquarters. The sponsorship is part of Putnam's "performance in motion" theme that it has developed locally in Boston at equestrian events.
The four-year relationship will run through the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and brings together two organizations with shared values and visions of excellence, said Bill Marolt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
Putnam will run advertisements on national television broadcasts on NBC featuring ski events, including the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week World Cup that takes place in early December in Colorado. The U.S. alpine, freestyle and nordic teams will also wear the Putnam logo on their uniform as part of the sponsorship.
"You will certainly see our brand when you watch the races," said
Jeff Carney, head of product, retirement and marketing at Putnam.
The sponsorship evolved from a longstanding relationship between Putnam CEO Reynolds and the U.S. Ski Team. Reynolds is a trustee of the sports national association and Putnam has sponsored Ted Ligety on an individual basis for the past two seasons.
The expanded relationship with the sport of skiing marks Putnam's first national sponsorship since it became a part of Power Financial.
"I don't think people in this country realize how popular this sport is outside of the U.S. What we think of football, they think of skiing, especially in Europe," explained Reynolds. He added that both the ski team are focused on performance and results, both individually and as teams. 
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