Bob Mayfield, president of Marcom Products, told the Wichita Falls City Council on Aug. 19 that outsourcing management of the Kay Yeager Coliseum and the Impact complex could increase costs for local nonprofits and vendors and risk losing existing business relationships.
"My company is an advertiser in the Kay Yeager Coliseum and a vendor for other advertisers in the Impact," Mayfield said. He told the council more than half his business supports local nonprofits and warned organizations that operate on tight budgets "cannot afford significant price increases." Mayfield recounted the community experience following a prior outsourcing contract with Spectra, saying some groups faced higher event costs and that one long‑time caterer closed.
Mayfield criticized the idea of hiring outside firms, naming O'Reilly Hospitality and Oak View Group as companies being considered; he questioned whether those firms were appropriate partners, saying, "Are these really the people you wanna contract with?" He also referenced assertions about Oak View Group and prior problems Dallas had with another firm, attributing those points to his review of past contracts and outcomes.
City staff did not take action on the comment — the remarks were made during the public comments portion of the meeting and no decision was made at the Aug. 19 session — but Mayfield's statements highlight a recurring local concern about outsourcing event management: whether a new operator will maintain existing vendor relationships and whether nonprofit users will face surcharges when they use their preferred vendors.
Mayfield asked the council to consider the record from the previous outsourcing contract and requested assurances that nonprofits would not face surcharges or lost vendor access. He told the council the current management had returned the Impact complex to a positive financial position after earlier outsourcing contracts had required city subsidies in his view. "So why try to fix something that's not broken?" he asked near the end of his remarks.
Council members did not act on the comment during the meeting. Mayfield's remarks will be part of the public record as the city continues to evaluate proposals and options for facility management.