Citi Performing Arts Center CEO: "Don't worry."
[UPDATE: A Statement has arrived from Alexander Samuelson, deputy director, Citi Corporate Affairs: "Citi values its Boston relationships including the Performing Arts Center and will honor our commitments in the city."]
It was just about three years ago that Citigroup signed a naming rights deal with the then Wang Center for the Performing Arts. The deal meant the Boston non-profit would receive $34 million over 15 years and be called the Citi Performing Arts Center.
Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup was considering leaving or scaling back in areas where it is not dominant, including Boston.
I called Citi Center CEO Josiah Spaulding Jr. to see if he had heard anything about Citigroup trying to opt out of its naming rights deal.
He told me that Nate Pussey, a Boston-based Citigroup worker who sits on the Citi Center’s board of directors, called Spaulding this morning after the report and told him not to worry. Spaulding does not expect anything to change with the naming rights deal.
“Citi’s been a wonderful partner,” said Spaulding, “and continues to be a wonderful partner.”
