Now you see it: New signs go up at Hoffman Estates arena
Four weeks after its official re-christening as the Now Arena, Hoffman Estates' 11,000-seat entertainment venue began to look more like its new self Monday.
Crews installed new signs along the outside walls of the stadium formerly known as the Sears Centre, work that followed the painting of the Now Arena's logo on the roof just after Labor Day weekend.
While the transformation most likely will remain a work in progress through November, the last traces of the arena's old name are likely to be gone by the end of the week, said Mike Czopek, director of partnerships for the Now Arena.
The prioritization of installing new plastic partitions in the interior because of COVID-19 may have had some impact on the pace of the exterior changes, but not much, he added.
"I think we're still in the same time frame," Czopek said.
The front entrance sign is expected to change on Tuesday and the scoreboard bearing the new arena name is hoped to go in next week.
One thing that will remain consistent through the transition are signs marking the Now Arena as the home of the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls' G League affiliate.
Representatives of the arena's new naming-rights partner - Bloomingdale-based Now Health Group, Inc. - were on hand Monday to observe the installation of the new signs, Czopek said.
The 52-year-old, family-owned company has a portfolio of more than 1,500 health and natural-based products, including supplements, sports nutrition, foods, beauty and essential oils. It has more than 900 full-time employees and owns the 13 Fruitful Yield natural health food stores in the Chicago area.
During the summer, Hoffman Estates village board members approved a 15-year, $11.25 million naming-rights deal with Now Health Group Inc. The deal, effective Sept. 1, replaced Sears' $600,000-a-year sponsorship.
Though Transformco - the company that's emerged from Sears Holding Corp.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing - still had some time left on its agreement, it did not object to negotiations between the village and Now Health Group.
Though outdoor, drive-in events have continued to take place in the parking lot, an official first indoor event for the Now Arena has not yet been scheduled, Czopek said.