Photos: New Milwaukee Bucks arena almost complete

James B. Nelson | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The arena naming rights deal between Fiserv Corp. and the Milwaukee Bucks came together under a cloak of secrecy with the code name "Project New Jersey" and wasn't inked until the morning it was announced.

The 25-year agreement between the Bucks and the Brookfield-based financial services company was months in the making and capped with a week of travel, negotiations, testing and anxiety, Bucks executives said in interviews.

Bringing the Fiserv Forum name to the arena was one of the biggest deals of their careers for Bucks President Peter Feigin and his right-hand man, Matt Pazaras, senior vice president for business development and strategy.

James B. Nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The two worked together for the New York Knicks for years. A New Jersey native, Pazaras was part of the team that Feigin brought to Milwaukee when he joined the Bucks four years ago after then-U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl sold the team to New York billionaires Wes Edens and Marc Lasry.

"He's the guy who took this deal from start to finish," Feigin said.

That's why he texted Pazaras in the predawn hours on the morning the agreement was announced. The final documents were yet to be delivered and signed.

Feigin couldn't sleep and decided to burn off some anxiety on his new hybrid bike. He texted Pazaras, who was also awake and ready to ride with his boss-buddy.

"We rode north and south along the lakefront," Feigin said. "For 30 minutes, we couldn't even talk to each other. "

It was just the beginning of what would be an emotional day, one that rivaled those that culminated in the legislation needed to secure the $250 million public financing commitment for the new arena.

Long road, a big fib

The naming rights sale to Fiserv came together following a long quest that led to last week's announcement exactly one month before the grand opening of the arena. Deals with various other partners, including Foxconn Technology Group, never fell together.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

Feigin and other Bucks executives grew weary of questions. "Soon" became the vague answer of choice.

As the Bucks and Fiserv got serious, both sides clamped down on talk about the process, especially following a report in May by the Sports Business Journal that the two sides were nearing a deal.

That led to one major fib. Fiserv and the Bucks flatly denied the report — and kept negotiating.

Pazaras said Fiserv "checked all the boxes" that the Bucks were seeking in a naming rights partner. It's a local company with an international platform, a tech firm that's regularly been recognized as among the "most admired" companies, he said.

Jim Nelson and Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A secret trip to Georgia

The Fiserv culture also aligned with that of the Bucks, he said. That was confirmed late in the process — the week before the deal was announced — when Pazaras and three other Bucks executives traveled to the Fiserv office in Alpharetta, Ga.

The group went south, where Fiserv's office is sleek and modern and employs about 2,000 people, compared with about 900 in Brookfield. The visit gave the Bucks a chance to learn how Fiserv planned to handle and market the arena name, Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks contingent made the one-day trip quietly and took steps to make sure they weren't carrying luggage or gear that had the team's logo on it, said Barry Baum, senior vice president for communications.

The Bucks team came back impressed.

"Everyone there is invested in the brand," Pazaras said. "They care about their culture in the same way that we do. You can't fake culture."

Fiserv also let the Bucks know it planned to use the naming rights to "transform" itself into a better-known business with a "cool" factor.

"That's another box that was checked," Pazaras said. "It's the right time for Fiserv to expand their brand."

Late-night testing in an empty building

The Bucks team returned and delivered its enthusiastic report to Feigin. The wheels got turning for one final hush-hush undertaking – testing the Fiserv Forum logo on the arena's enormous scoreboard and other video monitors.

Two nights before the announcement, Bucks officials traipsed over to the arena and made certain that the building was empty so no prying eyes would take notice of the orange Fiserv logo.

Johnny Watson, the team's director of live programming and entertainment, had to do a quick job familiarizing himself with the control room and fired up the LED lights to display the new name.

More bro tears

Announcement day came with one final emotional moment, after Feigin received the legal documents locking down the Fiserv deal. The papers were signed by Feigin and Fiserv CEO Jeffery Yabuki the morning the announcement was made.

"I called 'Paz' and we met in one of the back rooms" at the arena, Feigin said.

"We looked at each other like we were 8-year-olds, like we were leaving each other for camp for the first time," he said. "We started to cry; we just put our heads down."

The moment was interrupted.

"Two young women walked in, saw us and were basically paralyzed. They didn't know what to do," Feigin said.

Pazaras added: "Peter said: 'Don't worry. It's good. It's good. Happy tears.' "

View | 13 Photos

Photos: Bucks new arena officially done