Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp name fintech leader FIS presenting sponsor

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp name fintech leader FIS presenting sponsor (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — The gates to 121 Financial Ballpark may have been closed Monday afternoon, but the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp believe its expanded relationship with Jacksonville-based financial services firm FIS will open the floodgates to opportunities.

FIS, the financial technology powerhouse that is based two miles from home plate, will serve as the presenting sponsor for the Jumbo Shrimp.

FIS and the Shrimp had a relationship that dates to the 2017 season when FIS became the payments and loyalty provider of Minor League Baseball. Monday’s move strengthened it.

“While we are a global company, we impact people in their everyday life,” said FIS President Bruce Lowthers. “When you talk about how the world pays, banks and invests; those are things we do on a daily basis. The opportunity with (Jumbo Shrimp owner) Ken (Babby) was really here at this ballpark and to take a look at how people are experiencing the ballpark and with Ken and his team make ways to make the experience better. 

“One of the great things about Ken, (General Manager) Harold (Craw) and the team here is they are really focused on fan experience. When you talk about payments and e-commerce that’s really what the heart of it is. This became an opportunity for us to learn about how things were happening on an everyday basis and apply those things into our products.”

FIS President Bruce Lowthers, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp General Manager Harold Craw and Jumbo Shrimp owner Ken Babby are all smiles after the club announced the fintech company as its presenting sponsor on Monday April 12, 2021.

Jacksonville is a NFL city that also has the headquarters of the PGA Tour and ATP Tour in nearby suburbs. But one thing that appealed to Lowthers about the Jumbo Shrimp is the number of potential data points.

The Shrimp will play 120 games this year, including 60 at 121 Financial Ballpark. This will be the fifth season FIS has served processed payments for the team and produced unified payment data for the club.

The first home game of the 2021 season will be on May 4. Lowthers, a New Englander who lionized Boston Red Sox outfielders Jim Rice, Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans and fondly recalls attending games at Boston’s Fenway Park, said he will be at the 121 Financial Ballpark when the Shrimp host the Norfolk Tides.

“What it helps us do is really connect with the consumers and try to understand how to make their experiences better,” Lowthers said. “There is no place better to do that than with minor league baseball where you have people coming into experience something in a new and unique way. Whether it be the fan experience on a mobile app or accelerating the purchasing when you’re going to get your food. It’s really been a great ecosystem for us to find of be able to explore, try to experiment with things to make the experience better.”

As part of the five-year agreement, one penny from every transaction each year — up to $10,000 —will be donated to a Northeast Florida organization that encourages either financial inclusion or additional diversity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Lowthers and Babby both stated that because the average person may not know about the work the Fortune 500 company headquartered on Riverside Avenue does, this sponsorship also serves as brand recognition for the company.

“There is no doubt that ultimately we are a community business,” Babby said. “We’re a business that wakes up every day thinking about how we can make Jacksonville a better place to work and play. When we can align ourselves with partners that have the ability to accomplish growth in that sense, you know it really positions us moving forward.”