Black Hawks Camp Has Big Economic Impact for the Cedar Valley

Over 150 young hockey players flocked to the Cedar Valley last weekend, generating more than $165,000 in local economic activity, during the 2015 Waterloo Black Hawks Futures Camp.

An analysis by the Waterloo Convention and Visitors Bureau indicates that the August 14th to 16th gathering led to $166,853 worth of business transactions. Sales were weighted toward the lodging (25.0%), food/beverage (22.2%), retail (19.8%), and transportation (16.8%) sectors of the local economy. Besides providing a benefit to local merchants, spending by visiting players and their families yielded $9,953 in local taxes supporting city and county government budgets.

“Cedar Valley residents can be proud of what the Black Hawks accomplish on the ice each year. As an organization, we are proud that events like our futures camp, the 2015 Iowa Classic next month, and each of our 30 regular season home games help to support working families here in our community,” said Black Hawks Vice President of Sales and Marketing Joe Greene.

Among those who took the ice over the weekend, 45.9% came from three bordering states: Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Only 7.6% of participants made their way to the camp from within state lines. In total, 25 states and two European countries were represented.

In the days since the event, the Black Hawks have received array of positive feedback about the experience:

“My son did not want to leave; he enjoyed the ice time, the competition level, and the coaches. It helps him understand his weaknesses and know what to work on in the upcoming season and beyond.” Steve H., parent, Illinois

“Talking with your former and current players was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. I especially liked getting feedback on the bench…during our games.” Tyler B., player, New Jersey

“My son attended three hockey camps this year and the Waterloo camp was far and away the best organized…[P]roviding feedback on the last day, face-to-face, is exactly what a player needs, in my opinion.” Tom R., parent, Iowa

“Having five games was quite nice; adding lunch and dinner for the players on site was an added bonus that didn’t go unnoticed and was greatly appreciated. We have already circled March 18, 2016 when Waterloo visits the Chicago Steel as a game to attend.” Tony F., parent, Illinois

“We saw coaches with clipboards all over the place, which was a good thing to get coverage of various angles of game play.” Sue G., parent, Minnesota

“Thank you for having me at the Waterloo Black Hawks prospects camp! I learned a lot over the weekend and I will keep working hard to get to the USHL.” Jacob M., player, Illinois

“[My son] really enjoyed the time in Waterloo, and he told me about the immediate feedback from coaches – which was constructive.” Chuck D., parent, Illinois