MaintenX partners with Rays on Trop party deck
It’s party time at Tropicana Field.
MaintenX, a Tampa-based company providing facilities management and repair services, recently announced a partnership with the Tampa Bay Rays to sponsor the Tropicana Field party deck now through 2028, which is anticipated to be the Rays’ final season in their current home.
Located in Section 301 in the Trop’s upper left field, the party deck, with bleacher-style seats and a standing-room-only area, is first come-first served. It is also available to be reserved for private events.
The partnership was inspired partly by the company’s tremendous growth since 2019, said Amy Abril, MaintenX Marketing and Research Manager. Starting with Florida, they’ve expanded across the southeast and Sunbelt, serving companies from Maryland to California. MaintenX now has “almost 500 employees across the United States,” said Abril.
“Not just within Florida, but actually across the United States, we’re always looking to deepen our roots … and expand not just the geographical areas but the services we provide,” MaintenX founder Pat O’Hara said.
“Wherever companies have a weakness, we want to be their strength.”
“We listened to our clients. As we built our client base, they told us, ‘Hey, it’d be great if you added electrical,’ and we licensed,” Abril explained. MaintenX now provides plumbing, roofing, HVAC, electrical, general contracting and emergency repair services across America, including many of the country’s largest retail outlets and companies within the Fortune 100.
MaintenX briefly sponsored a car in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and then, closer to home, began sponsoring the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The soccer team shares owner Stu Sternberg with the Rays and introduced MaintenX and O’Hara to opportunities with the Rowdies’ sister club.
The Rays were an ideal fit, not just to build the MaintenX brand but to help them attract new team members to the rapidly-growing company, said O’Hara. “Our position with the Rays is that it will bring more awareness to the community that we hire within the community, whether they work in an office or in the field.”
The party deck stood out as a great fit for the personalities of both MaintenX and O’Hara, said Abril. “He thought we could do a really good job sprucing that area up and making it fun.”
“My idea was to brighten up the party deck and make it look more like a party versus what was originally there, and the Rays embraced it,” O’Hara elaborated. “It was a collaboration between us and the Rays.”
The party deck will feature a bright orange “sunburst” theme and, in addition to tickets in that section, will be open to the public to explore. Part of the party deck will showcase MaintenX’s community involvement – they sponsor Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco, the Salvation Army of St. Petersburg and Metropolitan Ministries of Hillsborough.
As the renovations near completion, O’Hara and MaintenX are looking to expand their community engagement by providing to 50 free tickets to two more nonprofit organizations. “I’m excited about being able to share this with business partners and the community,” said O’Hara, adding that organizations hoping to partner with MaintenX should reach out at rays@maintenx.com.
With the recently cemented agreement to construct a new stadium in the Historic Gas Plant District, O’Hara celebrated both the opportunity to partner with the Rays organization, now and into the future. “I love working with all the people in the Rays organization. They’ve been great to work with,” said O’Hara.
“They want to put a winning product on the field, and it makes me feel good that I work with people that really care about how they represent Tampa Bay.”
Non-profits or community organizations interested in partnering with MaintenX may reach out to them at rays@maintenx.com.
