Finance & Business World

The St. Louis Rams would like to return to Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon for the National Football League team’s 2009 training camp.

Jeff Horton, special assistant/offense for the Rams, said the team has been pleased with its first training camp at Concordia, which started July 24 with 180 Rams players, coaches and staff staying and practicing at the university’s campus, which is along the shores of Lake Michigan.

“There is no question we want to come back,” Horton said in an interview this week. “From top to bottom, this has been a great experience.”

It also has been a financial boon for Concordia and many nearby businesses.

Concordia president Patrick Ferry said the Rams will pay Concordia $330,000 for using the university’s facilities, many of which would not be used during the summer. The payment consists of $180,000 for food, $130,000 for the practice fields and dorms and $20,000 for labor.

More than 60 cars for the players were rented from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, 30 golf carts were purchased, the team contracted with nearby Columbia St. Mary’s hospital for up to 50 MRIs and Concordia staff is making daily trips to Sendik’s grocery store in Mequon to purchase fresh produce. In addition, Rams players and staff are visiting local restaurants and retailers.

On the evening the Rams reported to camp, players visited a nearby Target department store to buy “everything from televisions to comforters to cereal,” Ferry said.

“There is no doubt this has been a very positive event for the community,” he said.

There have been an average of 600 fans per practice, highlighted by about 3,000 who attended an Aug. 2 team scrimmage. University officials are estimating a $2 million to $3 million economic impact.

Concordia has spent about $200,000 on improvements to the athletic fields and other infrastructure projects, many of which were already planned over the next several years, said Ken Gaschk, Concordia’s vice president of admission services cash till payday. The university also purchased 80 flat-screen televisions for the Rams, all of which have been sold to faculty and staff for a discounted price.

Gaschk said the publicity in the St. Louis area will be good for recruiting for Concordia, which has about 6,000 students including 1,700 full-time undergraduates.

“We believe this will help our name recognition when it comes to recruiting,” Gaschk said.

The university also has been using the training camp to host events, such as hosting more than 75 area high school football coaches, along with an event for its board and other supporters.

That the Rams are even in Mequon is a surprise to almost all in the organization.

Horton, who led the selection process, said Concordia was not on the original list of possible training camp sites in Wisconsin that the Rams planned to visit in May. However, he agreed to add them after he was contacted by a Concordia official and viewed the university’s Web site.

“I had been in Wisconsin for seven years and had never heard of Concordia,” said Horton, who served as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin from 1999-2005.

But after visiting Concordia as the last stop on the tour, Horton said it was an easy decision.

“If they would have been first, we probably wouldn’t have even gone to the other sites,” he said. “It was the best atmosphere for us to be able to train and come together as a team in a great setting by the lake.”

Many of the players, some of whom Horton said had no idea where Mequon was, have been surprised by the experience.

“It’s beautiful,” said Rams quarterback Trent Green. “They have done a heck of a job and my first impression is very good.”

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