WKBN-TV coverage showed the crowd at the new
stadium’s debut game. Ticket sales hit 8,000.

For donating more than a year’s worth of public relations and marketing support to the Rayen Stadium renovation project, Pecchia Communications has been recognized alongside several large cash donors on a memorial wall.

The local PR firm is listed with Home Savings & Loan, Covelli Enterprises, Compco Industries and others in the “platinum” section of the wall at the Youngstown stadium’s entrance. A list of those same companies was published in the East High School football program for the 2012 season.

“It’s a thrill to be associated with some of the goodwill giants of the Mahoning Valley,” said Dan Pecchia, president of Pecchia Communications. “It was also a thrill to be involved with this campaign. What seemed impossible at one time became possible in a very short amount of time.”

Campaign raised more than $2 million

The website (click to visit) still takes donations.

Led by former Ohio State and Youngstown State football coach Jim Tressel and Youngstown City Schools athletic director Ed Matey, the campaign raised more than $2 million in cash and services to restore Rayen Stadium after many years of disrepair. The largest contributors included the Youngstown Board of Education, the Judge William Rayen Foundation (stadium name), the Antonucci family (field name) and Youngstown Orthopaedic Associates (scoreboard).

Pecchia Communications chipped in with news briefings, an ongoing publicity program, a website and Facebook page, a general brochure, brick campaign brochure, football program cover and various other letters and materials, including oversized checks to mark cash donations that poured in during 2012.

Campaign brochures.

The renovation campaign was covered heavily by the local media. For the August 25 East-Ursuline opener that marked the new stadium’s debut, some 8,000 tickets were sold, Matey said.

“Really, the Rayen Stadium story told itself,” said Pecchia, a Youngstown native and Ursuline graduate who has watched many games there. “It was an excellent ‘Youngstown story’ about people getting involved and working together to turn something worthless into something valuable. ”