Tim Romani
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Romani
Photos by: Icon Venue Group |
Founder, CEO, Icon Venue Group
Charlie Thornton
Executive vice president, Icon Venue Group
Marc Farha
Executive vice president, Icon Venue Group
Romani and Art Aaron, Icon Venue Group’s president and chief operating officer, have turned the company into the dominant player in owner’s representation and project management. Over the past decade, the Denver-based firm, now part of CAA Sports, has worked on nearly 40 arena and stadium projects and has about 25 more in development, including new arenas for the Sacramento Kings and Edmonton Oilers, plus a major overhaul planned for Vivint Smart Home Arena, the 25-year-old home of the Utah Jazz. Icon is the first name that comes to mind when talking about owner’s reps, and, to its credit, its stranglehold on the industry resulted in Legends forming its own project management group in 2014 to compete for sports development. Thornton’s specialty is MLS, and the league’s growth has kept him busy managing multiple stadium projects, including Orlando City SC’s 25,000-seater under construction. Farha oversees East Coast operations from his home base in Charlotte, and his newest project revolves around the Milwaukee Bucks’ $500 million arena development. Farha represents the Bucks,
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and his duties extend to the team’s new training facility next door, a 60,000-square-foot entertainment district, a parking garage, and the pursuit of a developer to build office and retail space adjacent to the arena. On his own, Romani is principally involved in other projects, including the multiyear renovation of Wrigley Field. That project extends to new development outside the ballpark, including a hotel, plaza space and a multiuse office tower with retail and restaurants, for a combined cost of $700 million. For Romani, the Cubs’ projects bring him full circle in the Windy City. His first project was developing U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox’s ballpark, which opened in 1991. At the time, Romani was executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, the stadium’s public landlord.
