The new management company VenuWorks for the Oshkosh Arena is already planning shows
“We are currently looking at shows for the fall and have already received inquiries from promoters. So we are very optimistic as the building has the required capacity.”
OSHKOSH – The new management company of Oshkosh Arena is wasting no time.
VenuWorks was on site on August 12 and plans to host shows at the facility in October and work long-term with arena tenants and the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League team, the Wisconsin Herd.
Regional Vice President HR Cook outlined his vision to Northwestern on Aug. 12 while setting up the space at Oshkosh Arena with a VenuWorks team that included the building’s new general manager, Andy Linton.
“We are currently looking at shows for the fall and have already received inquiries from promoters, so we are very optimistic because the building has the capacity required,” Cook said.
“The tools are in the toolbox; you just have to know how to use the tools, and that’s exactly what VenuWorks does.”
VenuWorks specializes in managing medium to small sized facilities outside of major markets.
VenuWorks is an Iowa-based company that specializes in managing medium to small sized arenas, amphitheaters and ice rinks outside of major markets such as New York and Chicago.
Their arrival comes just a week after Judge John Jorgensen approved Oshkosh Arena administrator Paul Swanson’s proposal that the Iowa-based event management company oversee operations at the facility amid ongoing foreclosure proceedings.
Bayland Buildings, the company that built the arena, filed suit in June alleging that Oshkosh Arena’s owner, Fox Valley Pro Basketball, owes more than $12 million in unpaid bills and is “consistently delinquent” on its payments.
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The court then appointed Swanson – an experienced bankruptcy attorney – as a neutral third party to temporarily manage the Oshkosh Arena, which has endured a series of financial challenges since it was built to attract the Herd to Oshkosh in 2017.
But these difficulties did not deter VenuWorks. A four-person team toured the facility early Monday morning before meeting with civil engineers and food and beverage manufacturers.
Two representatives from Bayland Buildings were also on site and filled cracks in the arena floor.
“They’re just taking it upon themselves, tackling it and making progress, so I’m very confident (that they can do it),” said VenuWorks’ Swanson.
“The fact is that the previous owner simply didn’t have the capital to operate this arena. But with the support of Bayland and VenuWorks operating the Oshkosh Arena, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Just two years after the arena was built, Fox Valley Pro Basketball filed for bankruptcy, listing more than 100 creditors.
FVPB eventually reached an agreement with its creditors, but then put the 80,000-square-foot facility up for sale on LoopNet this year after accumulating more than $619,000 in unpaid personal property and real estate taxes.
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VenuWorks is responsible for all management of the Oshkosh Arena, including market, concessions and event booking.
However, VenuWorks still views Oshkosh Arena as a lucrative venture and is preparing to take over all management of the facility, including daily operations, maintenance, concessions, marketing and event booking.
“The building in Oshkosh is great because it’s NBA quality and the layout is good with a large number of concessionaires. So we just have to figure out what to do with them,” Cook said.
“We have our own production company, VenuWorks Presents, so we’re going to be putting out feelers all over the United States to see who can come to Oshkosh and perform here, because we believe this is a hotbed and there’s no reason why people who are used to going to Green Bay, Appleton and Milwaukee shouldn’t come back to Oshkosh.”
There were concerns about the Herd’s future at the arena after an inside source revealed to Northwestern that the team “no longer wishes to work with Fox Valley Pro Basketball Inc.” due to alleged violations of the current lease.
But Swanson recently said he expects to close a deal soon that will keep the Milwaukee Bucks’ G-League franchise in Oshkosh for the foreseeable future.
“I’m very confident they’ll come to an agreement (because) both parties want to be in the building,” Cook said.
“VenuWorks wants to be here, the herd wants to be here and the lawyers want the herd to be here, so I think it will work out.”
Cook said they would be in touch with employees who had previously been laid off from the building, as all staff, with the exception of the general manager, will be hired locally and in the region.
Contact Justin Marville at [email protected].
