by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Since the Jacksonville Jaguars first pulled on the pads in 1995, the 21st floor lights of Independent Square have blazed through the night with the same message of support for the local team. So what could convince building management to change? Only the world’s biggest sporting event.
For nine years, property manager Dan Frey, a self-described huge Jaguars fan, has flipped the switch nightly to flash “Go Jaguars” from his building’s south face. The eight-foot-high letters, scrawled across 50 feet of windows, have become a football season landmark. But come December, the lights will flash a message celebrating the Super Bowl. What the message says will depend on the creativity inside the building’s offices.
The new message will be chosen from suggestions from building tenants. The building’s concierge desk will be accepting entries until Nov. 1. The winner will be chosen by a committee of building managers and announced Nov. 10. The new message will run for about a month leading up to the Super Bowl.
Sheila Cravey of the building’s concierge service will be one of the voters. She said so far, she’s been underwhelmed by the response. With 1,500 employees working on the building’s 34 floors, Cravey expected to be sifting through several hundred suggestions. So far she’s got eight.
She’s not sure why the contest hasn’t caught on. A $50 gift certificate to the Outback Steakhouse seems adequate reward, and she’s sure the law offices and banking firms working on the floor above have “some very creative people.”
“Maybe they’re up there, wracking their brains to come up with something great,” said Cravey. “Creative people wait until the last minute.”
Some would-be participants have struggled to harness their enthusiasm within the contest’s guidelines. Just 32 windows for a maximum of 32 letters. Cravey said some suggestions would run over to the Adam’s Mark Hotel’s windows. She’s also been asked “if the message has to be about the Super Bowl.” She thinks some of them might be looking for free advertising.
To jump start the contest, Cravey has posted signs around the lobby. She’s also trying to appeal to people’s desire for celebrity. What better way to claim your 15 minutes, she asks, then to compose a message that will be broadcast to billions of households?