ISU administrators are looking for new Iowa State Center management after the current contract holder was bought out by another company.

Murray Blackwelder, vice president for External Affairs, said Iowa State is taking bids on the service contract for the Iowa State Center, which includes Hilton Coliseum, Stephens Auditorium, the Scheman Building and Fisher Theater.

He said Ogden Allied, the current service-contract holder, has been bought out by Aramark, opening the door for Iowa State to take bids on the service contract for the first time in 11 years.

“That’s a long time to go without bidding it,” Blackwelder said.

Warren Madden, vice president for Business and Finance, said the search for new management wasn’t because of problems with the company, and Iowa State could decide to stay with the same management.

“We’re a public university, and we seek proposals periodically,” he said. “This contract has basically come to the end of its cycle.”

Madden said the university decided to hire outside management for the Iowa State Center in an attempt to expand the entertainment opportunities and to manage costs more effectively, both of which he said Ogden Allied has done.

“We were fortunate in Ames to have a series of performers and concerts that probably would not have come to a community the size of Iowa State without these connections,” he said.

Mark North, executive director of the Iowa State Center, was not available for comment.

Blackwelder said the company runs the buildings physically and brings performances to Hilton Coliseum and Stephens Auditorium.

“We’ve hired people who know how to build the cultural series at Stephens, bring the acts to Hilton and run the Scheman Building,” Blackwelder said. “It’s worked extremely well.”

Madden said more competition will be around both nationally and in Iowa in the next few years, and the company also has to be able to cooperate with the community.

“We need someone to understand the Ames marketplace,” he said.

Madden said he hopes the new company will continue to keep the Iowa State Center full of interesting venues.

“This firm needs to be able to deal with events with more sophisticated users with more expectations,” he said. “I would hope they would continue to be able to attract a variety of events.”