“It’s official. The American Power Boat Association has officially moved to Clark County, in Springfield, Ohio,” Director of Operations Dana Potts said at a Clark County Commission meeting this month. “You officially have the largest powerboat racing association in Springfield.”
Potts said the group is the oldest motorsports organization in North America at more than 121 years old, has 5,000 members and runs over 130 power boat races.
“We’re happy to be the headquarters of a national organization,” Clark County Commissioner Melanie Flax Wilt said during the meeting. “You’re from Clark County (and) grew up in this community ... All roads lead back to Springfield. You brought your profession and your professional contacts back here to build something in this community.”
Potts said moving to Clark County has been a project of his for eight years. The APBA has been based in Detroit for about 70 years, where they also run a “huge” boat race.
“We had a unanimous vote this past national meeting from our board. We thought we would have some objections being Central Ohio, Springfield, (but) no objections. We had board members that have been with us for 50 years, and immediately they said yes,” he said.
Commissioner Charlie Patterson said, “I know that countless hours of your own personal time have gone into this and the research that you’ve done. I thank you for investing that in our community and once again we welcome you here with open arms.”
One reason, Potts said, is because they signed a 19-year lease with the Clark County Fairgrounds, where they will have an office.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Dean Blair, fairgrounds executive director, said the county fairgrounds has been working with the APBA and is excited to house them within its building. He said they appreciate the additional income from the agricultural society, but their presence more than anything.
“Their presence here means that there will be more boat racing and events here,” Blair said.
They are also the new primary sponsor of the fairgrounds’ arts building, which will now be the APBA Arts Building and have an unveiling soon.
“We invested money in the community and our board is excited to be involved with everything because we believe in youth, we believe in growing,” he said. “We’re not only looking for just a few boat races a year. We’re looking to bring our community here.”
Blair said this will be good exposure for the fairgrounds and the APBA. He said there are Power Boat Associations across the globe and is proud to represent the U.S. one in Springfield.
“It’s just really cool to see that here at this address,” he said.
The APBA has several events this year in Springfield, including the U.S. Title Series Spring Shootout May 10-11, Inboard Driving School May 30 to June 1, Solar Splash: The Intercollegiate Championship of Solar/Electric Boating June 3-7, and Wake the Lake Aug. 23-24.
During the first event on Mother’s Day weekend, they’ll unveil the arts building and put race boats out.
“We got some exciting things going on. We love being here. We love being part of the community. We’re excited to grow,” Potts said. “We believe this is a centrally located environment for us that can really grow.”
For more information about APBA or events, visit www.apba.org.
Reporter Jessica Orozco contributed to this story.
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