Having officially established SFA’s role as planning advisors, the
partners moved into management services to assist clients in fulfilling
the planning visions produced by SFA. With Jason Clement serving
as CEO, Sports Facilities Management (SFM) was launched in 2013.
As the planning, market research, and funding support firm, SFA is
engaged to evaluate market opportunities, produce market research,
and create financing documents necessary to turn concepts into reality.
Concurrently, SFM oversees the opening and operations of facilities
and advises existing operations. Both businesses are headquartered
in downtown Clearwater with satellite operations across the country.
Together, the firms have overseen a portfolio of community-based
sports complexes totaling more than $8 billion in developments. The
four Tampa Bay based entrepreneurs say the key to their success lies
in the deep commitment to their mission: to improve the health and
economic vitality of the communities they serve.
“We have succeeded because we care deeply about the impact that
sport and recreation centers have in the communities we serve”,
says Pathik. “The health and economic outcomes produced by these
venues are measurable. In our tournament-style facilities, we drive
hundreds of thousands of hotel room nights into destinations.”
Both SFA and SFM serve government and private developer clients
in the planning, funding, development and management of youth
sports, recreation, and events complexes. Pathik shared that he
created the company concept and original plans at his kitchen table
before knowing if clients would respond. Well, they have!
Today, dozens of new clients contact SFA and SFM every week asking
for assistance in developing or operating a new facility. Conducting
over 100 planning projects each year, SFA is serving clients in
cities small and large all across the U.S. as well as internationally
in countries like the Bahamas, Thailand, St. Croix, Canada, and
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to name a few. Their work has had
an impact locally as well. The team at SFA, using industry-leading
research, supported the development of the BMX park in Oldsmar,
FL which brings thousands of competitors from across the world
to compete in events like the Gator Nationals. Both SFA and SFM
also have had a hand in another Tampa Bay favorite – Empower
Adventures, the zip line and aerial adventure course perched atop
Tampa Bay, also located in Oldsmar.
FLocal Magazine • March 2018 11