New Investors Look To Give Miss America A Sponsorship Makeover

Driven by a new investment partnership, the Miss America Organization is getting ready to undergo a massive makeover. Private equity firm, Hilco, and licensing expert, Infinity Lifestyle Brands, have teamed up to transform Miss America, the business, into a major player in the sponsorship and licensing world. Through the new partnership, Infinity and Hilco hope to evolve Miss America into a contemporary lifestyle brand positioning the new entity -- Miss America Properties -- as a sponsorship and licensing-driven platform focused on co-branded partnerships with leading American companies including fashion, media, lifestyle products and events.

Infinity will help Miss America identify and leverage new strategic partners.

"Developing Miss America into a license-based brand concept is a natural and powerful opportunity, and we are in discussions with a variety of strategic brands and sponsorship partners that are interested in influencing this transformational process from the onset," said Cory M. Baker, Managing Director of Brand Strategy and Development, Infinity Lifestyle Brands.

As far as sponsors go, there's definitely a lot of room for growth. Executives at the Miss American Organization expect that new partners will not only benefit from being associated with the Miss America brand, but also help take it to the next level.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with proven successful brand experts so that we can continue to focus on our scholarship program and pageant while our partners begin to develop and grow the Miss America brand to its fullest potential," Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board of The Miss America Organization, and Art McMaster, President & CEO, said. "For the first time it will be available in lifestyle products to every woman around the world."