Originally published in “Business Venture” – It’s where he came from and a big part of who he is today. After playing minor hockey through his childhood and making it to the OHL level with the Owen Sound Platers (now known as the Attack) at the age of 18, Jason Castellan, attributes much of his later success in life to the lessons he learned through hockey.
The co-founder and CEO of Guelph-based Skyline, is quick to refer to his childhood hockey experiences when asked how he’s accomplished so much success at such a young age. “The Canadian minor hockey system teaches kids incredibly valuable skills such as leadership, determination and goal setting. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication at such a young age to make it to the OHL level,” says Castellan. “A lot of my drive and ambition can no doubt be directly traced back to hockey.”
Now, nearly twenty years later, Castellan and his team of employees at Skyline are giving back. On August 25th, the Guelph Storm announced that Skyline will be the exclusive presenting sponsor of their 2009-10 season. “We were looking for a way to connect with the community, our tenants and our investors, and honestly, the decision to partner with the Storm was an easy one to make. I owe a lot to hockey and to this city and the Storm do a lot of good things for this community. We really are proud to be their presenting sponsor this season,” adds Castellan.
Castellan insisted however that the partnership goes beyond your standard sponsorship agreement. “We didn’t do this just to get our logo splashed everywhere. We want to use this opportunity to make a difference in the community and we intend to do that.” Skyline and Storm staff have already been busy working on a number of initiatives that will roll-out as the season unfolds. Even though the season just started, Skyline has already made hundreds of free tickets available to their residents, to local charities and to community groups in the Guelph area.
“This partnership will definitely go beyond a simple promotional platform,” said Storm Director of Business Operations Matt Newby. “Skyline will be an active participant in several community programs and a major partner in many new initiatives that will benefit our fans and this city. We believe this type of broad-based, community-driven partnership is the only way to make the presenting sponsorship deal work for the team, for Skyline and, most importantly, for the fans.”
“The Guelph Storm proudly presented by Skyline” marks the first time in team history that the franchise has been presented by a sponsor for the regular season and the playoffs.
About Skyline:
Based in Guelph, Ontario, Skyline is the asset manager for Skyline Apartment REIT, a private real estate investment trust focused on acquiring and managing apartment buildings and commercial space in diverse communities and niche markets across Canada. Skyline’s current portfolio is valued at nearly $500 million, it holds 86 properties spread out across four Canadian provinces and is made up of 5,574 residential units and 780,000 square feet of commercial space. Skyline’s roots in Guelph are solid and grounded in over 20 years of community involvement and charitable efforts aimed at re-investing in their own backyard. Further to this, Skyline currently owns 10 properties, made up of both residential and commercial space, in the city of Guelph. For more information, please visit skylineonline.ca