Bob Aston, Executive Chairman of TowneBank along with ECU Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert were on hand on Wednesday to announce a three million dollar commitment for the naming rights of the new southside press box/suites tower in in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

PirateIllustrated.com was there to bring you the very latest.

PI AUDIO: BOB ASTON & JON GILBERT DISCUSS TOWNEBANK TOWER

Official ECU Press Release

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University Director of Athletics Jon Gilbert announced Wednesday that the newest addition to Bagwell Field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will be called the TowneBank Tower.

The $3 million commitment from TowneBank is a centerpiece of ECU’s Southside Renovation Project and is scheduled to open for the 2019 football season. Hovering over the south grandstand, the Tower creates 1,000 seats through the addition of a new Club Level, Loge Boxes, Standard Suites and Founder’s Suites. In addition and as part of the renovations, a new Pirate Club level was created for members to have access on game day.

“We are absolutely thrilled to make this investment, not just in East Carolina Football, but in the vitality of the entire region,” G. Robert Aston, Executive Chairman of TowneBank, which now has 41 locations in Virginia and North Carolina, said. “Nothing is bigger in eastern North Carolina than Pirate football, and we know how much this spectacular addition to the stadium means to the players, coaches and fans.”

“We are so appreciative to Bob Aston and TowneBank for their investment in ECU Athletics,” Gilbert said. “This is an exciting day for our community, university, the athletics department and Pirate Club. The TowneBank Tower and other aspects of the Southside Renovation Project are really enhancing the experience for everyone associated with East Carolina Football.”

Also at the announcement event were TowneBank team associates - Matt Davis, President, TowneBank North Carolina; Brian Reid, President, TowneBank Triangle; Greg Steele, President, TowneBank of Greenville and several representatives of his team. Jim Clement, President, Towne Insurance of Central NC, and other individuals of his group were in attendance, along with members of the TowneBank of Greenville board.

TowneBank recently opened its first eastern North Carolina office in Greenville.

“Towne always strives to do the right thing, whether it’s how well we care for our members, to how we provide exquisite full-service ‘hometown banking’ and, in how we invest in our community,” Steele said.

“The response we have had with bringing quality insurance solutions to our members has been wonderful over the last six-plus years,” Clement said. “So making this commitment and having our TowneBank name be a part of this incredible project is truly an honor for us.”

“We are so pleased that TowneBank has partnered with ECU for this state-of-the-art facility that will be a gathering place on our campus for, not only for home football games, but for many other events throughout the year,” Phillip Wood, Executive Director of the Pirate Club, said. “We appreciate all of Pirate Nation who have supported this project and we truly believe it is something all Pirates will be proud of.”

The Southside Renovation Project also includes:

•Premium parking lot behind TowneBank Tower where each pass holder will have cable TV connections and electrical outlets.

•Modern press level with additional space for media, including amended radio, television broadcast and production locations.

•Improvements to the Ward Sports Medicine Building to provide functional space for student-athletes.

•Development of an indoor hitting facility adjacent to Clark-LeClair Stadium.

For more information on premium seating opportunities in the TowneBank Tower, signage for which will be on all sides of the five-story structure, interested individuals and companies can visit www.ecupirateclub.com.

Besides Greenville, TowneBank’s North Carolina presence includes offices in Camden, Moyock, Nags Head, Corolla, Southern Shores, Grandy and Greensboro plus three Paragon Bank offices, a Division of TowneBank, in Raleigh, Charlotte and Cary.