CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - — The Herrman & Herrman law firm has stepped up to fill the gap after CITGO pulled out as the top sponsor for Fiesta de la Flor.
Organizers say other cities are interested in hosting the festival, but Corpus Christi is synonymous with Selena: and for Herrman & Herrman, who already was a festival sponsor, the decision to become assume the helm was easy.
As the presenting sponsor, the firm is chipping in $300,000 for next year's festival. That money goes to paying for performers, security, and other logistics.
“The festival means a lot to us; the Quintanilla family means a lot to us; Selena means a lot to us -- so we decided to step up and be the presenting sponsor,” said Herrman & Herrman managing partner Greg Herrman.
But the sponsorship isn't about money for the firm, Herrman said -- it's about Corpus Christi.
“Corpus has been very, very good to the Herrman & Herrman law firm,” said Herrman. “We just feel like we need to do something to give back to the community, we need to keep the festival here.”
Fiesta de la Flor organizers were thrilled to find a presenting sponsor with strong local ties after CITGO decided to end its sponsorship.
“There are very big shoes to fill in replacing the sponsorship from CITGO,” said Melody Nixon-Bice, festival chairwoman. “Finding another organization within Corpus Christi was key in keeping the festival in our city.”
Fiesta de la Flor has grown in each of its first five years, and organizers already are planning a bigger and better festival for 2020 and beyond.
“We want to make sure we're presenting a wonderful event that will attract people from within the city and outside of our city limits,” said Nixon-Bice.
As the top sponsor, Citgo gave $100,000 for Fiesta de la Flor last year. Herrman & Herrman’s commitment is three times that, but Greg Herrman says his firm's agreement is only for next year. He added the firm will get the first option to continue as presenting sponsor for 2021 and beyond.
