New name

THUNDER BAY -- A local sports complex is hoping a new name will take it to the next level.

The Sports Dome will now become the Lowerys Sports Dome after the two local businesses announced a five-year naming rights deal Tuesday morning.

Besides the promotion opportunity, Lowerys sales manager Scott Christie said partnering with the dome helps support other local businesses.

“We want to see it grow and prosper,” he said.

Dome general manager Brian Tsubouchi said they’ve been looking for a business to partner with for five years. While the facility wasn’t in danger of closing, people don’t realize how much it takes to run, from keeping it inflated to heating.

“Take your house bill and multiply it by 100 and you’ve probably got a close range of what it costs to heat this place in the winter time,” he said.

“It’s a fantastic deal for the dome and I’m pretty excited going forward.”

Lowerys will also help the dome with marketing and promotion through its sister company Modo.

That will help get more people in to see what the place has to offer Tsubouchi said.