Spreading the name: BB&T sees benefit in affixing bank's name to stadiums here and elsewhere

(By Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal) - The new downtown baseball stadium will be called BB&T Ballpark, a long-term partnership that owners of the Winston-Salem Dash hope could ease concerns about the viability of the heavily subsidized stadium.

BB&T Corp. and the team announced yesterday that the bank has taken the naming rights to the stadium for 15 years at an undisclosed price. The first game at BB&T Ballpark is set for April 13.

Billy Prim, the majority owner of the Class A-level Dash, said he believes that BB&T's civic and corporate reputation will create good vibes for a $48.7 million stadium that has been saddled with an escalating cost and an increased taxpayer role since it was approved by the Winston-Salem City Council in 2007. At that time, the stadium was expected to cost $22.6 million.