Endwell, NY – Visions Federal Credit Union has begun its fifth year as naming sponsor of the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, NY. With support from Visions during the past four years, the local venue has overcome challenges brought by the pandemic and is now bustling with increased attendance and community engagement.
Since January of 2021, the partnership between Visions and Broome County has much to celebrate. County Executive Jason Garnar commented, “Over the past four years, our partnership with Visions has brought much-needed new events and opportunities to our community following the challenges of the pandemic that halted live entertainment. Their support has given people more ways to come together and enjoy these exp
eriences, and we are grateful for their continued commitment to Broome County.”
Visions’ sponsorship began amidst a worldwide pandemic, which forced the arena to shut its doors for an extended period. Between March 9, 2020 and March 11, 2021, only a handful of events were hosted for a total attendance of fewer than 300 patrons.
In 2021, major renovations were made to the arena’s aging infrastructure and HVAC systems as the brand of Visions Federal Credit Union was installed outside and painted throughout the building to replace the prior sponsor. By that summer, Visions had become a principal sponsor of the Binghamton Black Bears to help keep professional hockey in the local community after the previous hockey team relocated to Utica, NY. Within the team’s first two seasons, attendance at hockey games would reach an average of nearly 3,000 per night. Based on the team’s recent winning streak and strong local fan base, they are now averaging about 4,100 per home game in their current season.
When they pursued the sponsorship, Visions had developed a strategic partnership with Mirabito Energy Products to expand their impact. Mirabito became naming sponsor of the box offices for both the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena and Broome County Forum Theatre.
“I’m a firm believer that, in most cases, a setback is only the setup for a comeback,” said Timothy Strong, Visions’ Director of Branding and Public Relations. “We expected that our partnerships with Broome County and Mirabito would help this area recover from the pandemic, and we’re proud to have seen that come true.”
The two sponsors, Visions and Mirabito, have supported the venues by tapping into their own networks of members, customers, and locations while supporting initiatives to bring new events, local artists, and major performing acts into the community. They also provide exclusive access to discounted tickets, pre-sale offers, and special promotions that have encouraged attendance at the venue’s events.
Part of Visions’ sponsorship included the creation of a Naming Rights Fund to help cover the cost of programming at the Arena and Forum. Popular acts that were aided in the past few years by the fund have included Jeff Dunham, Jerry Seinfeld, Walker Hayes, and WWE.
“From state championship athletics events to the Binghamton Black Bears to several concerts and family shows, we’ve been able to attract shows of all types that would not have otherwise come to Binghamton but for the partnership with Visions,” said Christopher Marion, General Manager of Visions Veterans Memorial Arena and Forum Theatre. “We have also been able to access the Naming Rights Fund to help all of our stakeholders and tenants either maintain or enhance their level of activity or service in both venues.”
In addition to supporting Visions Veterans Memorial Arena’s ticketed events, Visions has hosted events with free attendance for the community. The Visions Summer Concert Series evolved over three years into the Bands & Brews Block Party, bringing thousands of attendees to the space for free outdoor concerts that have featured local vendors, meet-and-greets with professional athletes, and over a dozen bands from around New York State. Introduced by the Visions Veterans Program in 2022, Visions has also hosted an annual Veterans Expo, a free opportunity for veterans and military-connected community members to network with veteran service providers from throughout the Southern Tier and Central New York.
“Honoring veterans has been an integral part of our giveback efforts,” said Strong. “This partnership represents that ongoing commitment, and our mission, to make Visions matter to the communities we serve.”
About Visions
Visions Federal Credit Union is a not for profit financial institution completely owned by its members. Established in 1966, Visions proudly serves over 250,000 members in communities throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Services include banking as well as auto, home, personal, and business loans. Visions maintains a Veterans Program for veterans, their spouses, and their dependents, as well as financial readiness support for military-connected university students. Visit www.visionsfcu.org for more information. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Lender.
About Mirabito Energy Products
Since 1927, Mirabito has proudly operated as a family-owned energy provider, serving residential, commercial and wholesale customers in over 10 states primarily in the Northeast. With a diverse array of high-quality energy products, we have upheld our mission of meeting the needs of our customers by continuously evolving and expanding our services. Mirabito Energy Products’ extensive line of energy solutions includes biofuels, heating oil, propane, natural gas, coal, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, HVAC services and electricity. Beyond energy services, Mirabito manages over 100 convenience stores in Central New York and Northern Pennsylvania, establishing itself as one of the largest convenience store chains in the region. For more information, visit www.mirabito.com.
Ref: Visions FCU press release, 2025.
