Old Dominion to be Official Freight Carrier for Major League Baseball
Old Dominion Freight Line has hit a homerun with its recent announcement that the Thomasville, N.C.-based company will be the official freight carrier for Major League Baseball.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with MLB teams across the country and are excited for the 2017 season to begin,” said David Carter, vice president of marketing and communications at Old Dominion Freight Line.
The company already had individual partnerships with a number of Major League Baseball teams, including the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets and Texas Rangers.
Old Dominion ranks No. 11 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
Chip Overbey, senior vice president of strategic development, said the company has been evolving its relationship with some of these teams, which has led to the new partnership with Major League Baseball.
“As we built those relationships over time, we started building an overall relationship with MLB,” Overbey said. “There is a lot of congruence with that relationship. Major League Baseball is an all-American sport; we are an all-American company. We shared a lot of the same values.”
The Major League Baseball logo now accompanies Old Dominion's nearly 30,000 tractor-trailer fleet across the country.
The company will also place ads on MLB Network and the league’s digital and social media platforms.
Wes Engram, New York Mets vice president of corporate partnerships, sales and service, said the team is looking forward to continuing to work with the freight company.
What a sweet way to walk into work today. @ODFL_Inc we celebrate with service pic.twitter.com/qyIhWuSvnS — Rafaelito (@medicsmurf) April 10, 2017
"We are excited and proud to continue our partnership with Old Dominion Freight Line," he said. "We appreciate existing partners like ODFL that continue to significantly invest in the Mets brand and product."
Old Dominion partnered with several Major League Baseball teams across the country for “moving day,” a spring training ritual where fans and players celebrate the start of a new season.
The Los Angeles Angels’ Old Dominion Moving Day, when the team reported to spring training in Tempe, Ariz., featured interactive activities and games for fans at the front gates of Angel Stadium. Angels infielder Danny Espinosa, broadcaster and former pitcher Mark Langston and bench coach Dino Ebel signed autographs throughout the event.
The Chicago White Sox celebrated the team’s sendoff on Jan. 29, before departing for Glendale, Ariz. Old Dominion moved all of the team’s equipment to the Hilton Chicago for the annual convention, SoxFest 2017.
Overbey said Old Dominion is looking forward to an extended and fruitful partnership with Major League Baseball.
“There is a lot there that works well together,” Overbey said. “It is a good opportunity to elevate our brand with a very highly respected brand. It says something about us, that if Major League Baseball will choose you, you must be doing something right.”
