New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena will soon be renamed the Izod Center.
The state's Sports and Exposition Authority today awarded a $1.4 million-a-year contract for arena naming rights to Izod, a unit of Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. Izod beat two other clothing companies, Iconix Brand Group Inc.'s Rocawear and Fort Lee, New Jersey-based Southpole.
New Jersey sought bids from companies interested in the naming rights in August after Continental Airlines Inc. backed out of its $1.3 million annual contract because the facility lost the New Jersey Devils hockey team. The new name will be launched Oct. 31 when the New Jersey Nets basketball team opens its season at home against the Chicago Bulls, said George Zoffinger, the authority's chief executive officer.
"This is a rebirth for this arena," Zoffinger said in an interview after the authority's board meeting. "It gives us an opportunity to show that this arena is very viable."