March 1, 2005
Rappaport Tags Jeter out at
Fleetcenter
New Boston Fund, a Boston-based real estate investment, development and management firm, has announced that it has purchased the naming rights for the FleetCenter today with all proceeds going to the Jimmy Fund. The Boston civic and athletic arena will carry the Jimmy Fund name on Tuesday, March 1.
New Boston Fund President Jerry Rappaport Jr. secured the Jimmy Fund name by outbidding his former college roommate, Kerry Konrad, in an ongoing eBay auction the FleetCenter's owners are holding, offering naming rights to the building for a day apiece.
Konrad, now a Manhattan lawyer, won the naming rights with a $2,325 bid and proclaimed he wanted to call the building the "Derek Jeter Center" after the New York Yankee shortstop and captain.
But Rappaport, a longtime Boston area resident whose firm has done business in the Boston market for more than 50 years, stepped up and donated an additional $6,275, bringing the total up to $8,600.
The Jimmy Fund, one of the world's largest cancer charities, supports the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute. It has been the Red Sox' official charity since 1953.
"There comes a time when you have to stand up for your team and do what's right," Rappaport said. "The Jimmy Fund has been a positive force in our local community since the days my family first started doing development in and around Boston. The Jimmy Fund deserves to have its name up in lights, and we are pleased to have played a role in making it happen."
"The Jimmy Fund seems to be the only thing that can bring the Red Sox and Yankees fans together," says Mike Andrews, chairman of the Jimmy Fund and former infielder for the Boston Red Sox. "While the Jimmy Fund name is well known in Red Sox Nation, we're thrilled to have it displayed in the home of the Celtics and Bruins, and we thank Jerry Rappaport and New Boston Fund for making it possible."
About New Boston Fund
Based in Boston, New Boston Fund is one of the fastest growing private real estate investment, development and management firms in New England. Founded in 1993 by the Rappaport family of Boston, New Boston Fund owns and manages more than 13 million square feet of commercial real estate worth in excess of $1.3 billion.
