Blackstreet Capital Holdings affiliate Black Bear to manage East Lansing Arena
East Lansing, MI – An affiliate of Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. (“Black Bear”) has acquired the arena commonly known as Suburban Ice East Lansing, which, as part of the transaction, has been renamed the East Lansing Ice Cube (the “Arena”). The Arena features two ice sheets, a gym, and a pro shop. The Arena is home to the Lansing Hockey Club, the Lansing Skating Club, and certain Biggby Youth Hockey AAA teams. Black Bear, the largest owner-operator of ice rinks in the U.S., was founded by CEO Murry Gunty in 2015.
“We’re proud to continue expansion in Michigan,” said Murry Gunty, Founder and CEO of Black Bear, “We believe it is one of the top, if not the very best hockey and figure skating market in the country. Tom Anastos and the Suburban Ice team were excellent operators in Lansing and we are excited to continue to operate a first-class facility for the community.”
The Arena was built in 1999 and is located next to Michigan State University. Lansing Hockey Club, Lansing Skating Club, Biggby Youth AAA Hockey, and existing adult, high school and learn to play programs will continue to be the largest users of ice at the Arena. All existing programming will continue as planned and Black Bear is pleased to retain the employees at the rink.
“We are stepping into a community with a rich skating and hockey history,” said Ryan Scott, Vice President at Black Bear. “Many youth and adult skaters are proud to call this Arena their home ice and we are excited to be a part of the next chapter of developing the Greater Lansing area’s next skaters.”
About Black Bear Sports Group, Inc.
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. is a privately held company formed by Murry Gunty and Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC in 2015 that seeks investments in sports and entertainment facilities, teams, and youth sports events. Black Bear arenas are clean, professionally managed, and offer world-class recreational programs. Black Bear focuses on ice arenas in metropolitan areas with compelling demographics, markets with a National Hockey League club presence, and arenas with existing youth hockey clubs. Black Bear not only features the ability to acquire healthy and stable arenas but also the expertise required to turn around mismanaged or underperforming facilities. The largest owner/operator of ice arenas in the U.S., Black Bear’s footprint totals 35 facilities across the United States with 66 sheets of indoor ice, four indoor turf fields, 34 youth hockey clubs, four hockey leagues (Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, Tier 1 Hockey Federation, and Foundry Adult Hockey), two tournament businesses (Defender Hockey Tournaments and the National Girls Hockey League), and seven Junior “A” hockey franchises with membership in the United States Hockey League, North American Hockey League, USPHL NCDC, USPHL Premier and Elite, and the Eastern Hockey League.