PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A group of former Portland Trail Blazers, team officials and community leaders is coming together to make sure that the team stays in Portland.

The new group, named Rip City Forever, is helmed by former player Chris Dudley along with former executives Marshall Glickman and Erin Hubert.

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In a press release, the organization said the sale of the Blazers opens the door for a new owner to move the team.

“While the NBA prefers the Blazers remain in Portland, there is no guarantee. Bigger cities with newer and better arenas would love to steal our team. Seattle’s loss of the Sonics in 2008 is what happens when a community fails to prepare in advance of an ownership change to adapt, compete and win. I am committed to working with the community, elected officials and league officials to ensuring the Blazers remain and succeed in Portland for decades to come,” said Dudley.

These conversations actually started years ago following Paul Allen’s passing.

Dudley and Marshall said they wanted to make sure whenever new ownership came in they were someone who believed in Portland and wanted to keep the team here.

Now with the team up for sale they want to raise awareness to show prospective owners what the team means to the city and the power of the local business community.

The group is made up of former Blazers and former team executives, other ex-athletes, and even CEOs with Oregon ties.

“We also need to reciprocate to new ownership to say that we’re ready and we want to roll out the red carpet for you. We want to make this the best city in America to do business with the NBA,” said Joth Ricci, the former Dutch Bros CEO affiliated with Rip City Forever. “And so, you know, for us today, getting the response that we have, from all sorts of people.”

As of Wednesday evening, over 500 community members across Oregon and Southwest Washington have signed an open letter to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Governor Tina Kotek.

There is a website where the public can add their names to the letter.

In the letter, the organizers said that “losing this cornerstone of our civic pride would be devastating.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Kotek and Mayor Wilson sent a letter to the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, addressing the Blazers’ deep connection to the Portland community and saying that they want to work with the NBA to keep the team local.

“You can tell a lot about a community by where people get their joy from, and for Portland, sports are a big, enthusiastic part of that joy,” the letter reads. “It’s what it feels like to give something your all, and win. Like any athlete knows, it’s not a stroke of luck. One shot, one shining moment, is the culmination of hours, days, weeks and years of work. And something you can’t measure: grit. In Portland, we have a lot of that.”

The letter goes on to address the current state of the Moda Center and its needs for renovations.

“The Moda Center sits near the middle of the city, within reach of every corner. That’s by design, and we want to keep it that way. We also want to be loud and clear that as the Governor of Oregon and Mayor of Portland, we fully support renovating the Moda Center to become a point of pride for the Blazers and for our city. We are prepared to explore the public-private partnerships needed to make it happen,” the letter reads.

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