The Penn-Harris-Madison Board of School Trustees voted to approve the sponsorship agreement between the P-H-M Education Foundation and Zolman's Tire & Auto Care at the Monday, January 11, 2016 Board meeting.

Per the agreement, Zolman’s Tire will donate $25,000 to the P-H-M Education Foundation endowment for a 12-year naming rights period, thereby affording Zolman’s the opportunity to name the north concession stand at Penn High School’s TCU Freed Field. Zolman's Tire & Auto Care will also pay the signage costs to have the area named “The Zolman Tire Concession Stand.”

The mission of the Education Foundation is to develop alternative sources of income to support education initiatives in the School Corporation by strengthening partnerships between the community and the District. PHMEF supports education through awarding innovative teaching grants, scholarships to students, staff development and other corporation-wide initiatives.

Per PHMEF’s naming rights fundraising initiative, 80 percent of the donation will go into the Foundation’s endowment, which will in turn provide alternative and additional funding for various co-curricular and extracurricular programs. The remaining 20 percent will directly fund professional development initiatives for P-H-M teachers. Continuing education and training of teachers is a major priority for P-H-M School District. With the recent release of the 2015 ISTEP+ scores, P-H-M believes the key to providing an excellent education is excellent teachers.

“Our goal is to provide our students with an outstanding education to prepare them for college and career success,” said P-H-M Superintendent Dr. Thacker. “We do this by making sure our students are receiving the best education possible from the best educators. P-H-M’s ‘Triangle of Success’ is built upon students, teachers and parents. Community partners are vital to sustaining P-H-M excellence in education.”

Monday’s announcement of Zolman’s commitment and support is a continuation of the company’s longtime connection and support of P-H-M and the local community. Zolman’s Tire has made financial contributions to the Penn Marching Band as well as to the high school’s football, rugby, hockey and robotics teams. The company is also a sponsor of PHMEF’s annual “Silver Mile Run for Education.” President Nate Zolman is a 1988 graduate of Penn High School, along with his siblings.

"Zolman's Tire & Auto Care is excited to become a strategic partner with the P-H-M Education Foundation on opportunities that will benefit the students of this community," said Nate Zolman. "Both Zolman’s and the Foundation’s commitment to P-H-M students’ education, experiences, growth and quality of life is unparalleled! We are proud to become a long-term partner."

“When community business leaders like Nate Zolman invest in PHMEF’s endowment and the teacher professional development, they are helping ensure that P-H-M students will have continued access to the best education for years to come” said Mari Linn M. Wise, executive director of P-H-M Education Foundation.

More About Zolman’s Tire and Auto Care

Bud & Diane Zolman started in the tire industry in 1963 working for Corporate Firestone. In 1963, Bud Zolman and Ray Monteith started Monteith Tire in Bud’s home town of Warsaw, Indiana. Bud & Diane opened their own store in Mishawaka in 1978. Son of Bud & Diane now president of Zolman’s Tire and Auto Care, Nate Zolman, spearheaded the opening of the company's first satellite store in Granger in 1995. Over the next nine years six other locations were opened: Edison Road in Mishawaka (August 1997); South Bend, near the University of Notre Dame (December 1997); Niles, Michigan (1999); downtown South Bend (2004); second Mishawaka location (2004); and Commercial Tire and Heavy Duty Truck Repair in South Bend (2004). With eight locations across Michiana, Zolman's Tire & Auto Care employs more than 100 employees. Zolman's Tire prides itself on family values and giving back to the community. For more than 40 years, Zolman's has supported many local charities, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Joseph County, Angel of Hope, United Way, Corvilla, P-H-M Education Foundation, P-H-M School Corporation and programs at Penn High School. Zolman’s also sponsors Harris Township Junior Baseball Softball Association along with many travel baseball leagues. To learn more, please visit www.zolmantire.com.

To learn about P-H-M Education Foundation, please visit www.phmef.org.

To learn more about Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, please visit www.phmschools.org/why-p-h-m. 

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Naming Rights Timeline Fact Sheet

• In August 2014, P-H-M Education Foundation recognized two local families for their longtime support, in-kind donations and financial contributions to P-H-M educational programs:
  
  • The music rooms at all P-H-M's elementary schools were named after Jim and Julie Schwartz (represents $50,000 worth of donations over 10 years)
  • The Band Room at Penn High School was named after the Doshi family (represents $15,000 worth of donations over 10 years)

• Lionshead Penn High School Soccer Field
  
  • Board approved September 2014
  • $25,000 payable over 5 years

• Dar and Dot Wiekamp Penn High School Tennis Courts
  
  • Board approved September 2014
  • $25,000 payable over 5 years

• May Oberfell Lorber Penn High School Softball Field
  
  • Board approved October 2014
  • $25,000 payable over 5 years

• TCU Freed Field
  
  • Board approved June 22, 2015
  • $400,000 payable over 12 years

This agreement was a continuation of a long standing partnership. TCU’s commitment represents more than the renaming of the high school football field. TCU is collaborating with P-H-M educators to develop financial literacy programs, scholarships, functions and activities.

• The Zolman Tire Concession Stand (north Concession stand at TCU Freed Field)
  
  • Board approved January 11, 2016
  • $25,000, payable over 5 years with 12-year naming rights