Sternberg optimistic about 2019, Rays' stadium

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https://www.mlb.com/news/stuart-sternberg-talks-rays-stadium-season/c-304180656

Sternberg optimistic about 2019, Rays' stadium

The stadium situation was another topic of conversation Tuesday, as Sternberg sat down with the media for the first time since the Ybor City stadium plans came to an end in December.

Sternberg has made it clear that his plan is to keep the Rays in the Tampa Bay area well beyond the 2027 season, which is when the team's lease with Tropicana Field expires. With the Ybor City plan no longer in play, Sternberg said the organization is starting from scratch but has had initial talks with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

"We spoke a little over a month ago," Sternberg said. "We agreed to get back to him. It's my expectation that we would have something to be able to come back to him with at some point in the summer. We're starting from scratch again, but I want to at least have a good sense of things before we get into it strongly with the mayor and his staff."

Overall, Sternberg is hoping for increased attendance at the Trop, especially if the team contends for a playoff spot in 2019.

"If we had 30-35,000 people walking through the door every night, and we had naming rights and big sponsors, the funding would be a layup," he said. "If we continue to have 8,000, 12,000, 15,000 people a night and not expand our sponsorship roles and everything, we can have all the funding in the world and it's meaningless."

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http://www.fox13news.com/sports/rays/rays-sternberg-discusses-future-of-stadium-plans

Rays' Sternberg discusses future of stadium plans

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (FOX 13) - Two months after the collapse of the Ybor stadium plan, Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg is at spring training looking forward to a more immediate future when it comes to his ball team.

"The thing we're here first and foremost, A-Z, is to win baseball games, and to have an organization that's going to be sustainable for years," said Sternberg during his "state of the team" session with the media Tuesday afternoon.

The proposal to build a new stadium in Ybor was squashed in December. The team then sent a letter to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman to formally tell him the search was over in Hillsborough County, at least for now.

"When we saw this thing was coming to a close, coming to an end around Thanksgiving time, it sort of spurred a lot to happen after that which was a bit too little and a bit too late," explained Sternberg. 

Now, the Rays have to start from scratch and potentially come up with a plan to build a new stadium in Pinellas County. Sternberg says he's been speaking with Kriseman.

"We agreed to get back to him. It's my understanding, it's my expectation that we would have something to be able to come back to him with -- I'd like to, I'm pushing the organization -- at some point this summer," said Sternberg.

Support and funding continue to be the biggest hurdles, moving forward, with a new stadium.

"If we continue to have 8,000, 12,000, 15,000 a night, and not expand our sponsorship roles and everything, there could be all the funding in the world and it's meaningless," said Sternberg.

Still, Sternberg says, he's confident a new stadium deal can be done here in the Bay area.

"I feel great that we have a great partner with the Mayor and the city of St. Pete. The growth within St. Pete, the growth in Tampa Bay, that we took this big swing at what we tried to do, and I'm still very committed to seeing things through in Tampa Bay," said Sternberg.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2019/02/19/billion-dollar-new-york-wealth-management-firm-to.html

Billion-dollar New York wealth management firm to relocate to St. Petersburg

The decision to relocate the company’s HQ was based on several factors, including “a rising group of talented financial services professionals in Florida,” the area’s good weather and vibrant community.

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https://www.tampabay.com/business/dynasty-financial-partners-will-trade-new-york-city-for-st-pete-20190219/

Dynasty Financial Partners will trade New York City for St. Pete

The wealth management firm was courted for nearly a year by the Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation.

Priatek Plaza, once known as the Bank of America building, stands at 200 Central Ave. in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. [Times (2015)]

New York City wealth management firm Dynasty Financial Partners is relocating its headquarters to downtown St. Petersburg later this year.

The move comes after the Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation spent nearly a year courting the firm. Dynasty will relocate to the 15th floor of Priatek Plaza, the 28-story tower at 200 Central Ave.

J.P. DuBuque, president of the economic development corporation, called Dynasty a “rising star in the financial services world.” The company's high salaries and promise of local hiring, he said, will be a significant draw.

“For us, they’re going to come here and bring quite a few jobs,” DuBuque said. “(They) really want to be a part of this community and invest in this community.”

He said the company will not receive local subsidies. What clinched the deal was the community.

“St. Pete offers a great quality of life and a diverse workforce,” Dynasty spokeswoman Sally Cates said. “It’s a better tax environment and a lower cost of doing business in Florida.”

She said the region’s airports and low cost of living were also factors.

The company expects to have 35 to 40 employees by the end of the year, Cates said, which will be a combination of existing employees and new hires. She declined to specify how many would be new hires.

“It will be our primary growth hub for business,” she said. Dynasty currently has 60 employees, located primarily in New York City, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago. It also works with 47 registered investment advisors in 11 states and "partners" with wealth management firms across the country.

The new hires will be in fields including compliance, client services, investments, operations, technology human resources, business development and relationship management.

"The visibility that comes with this is amazing," DuBuque said, because Dynasty's board of directors is "stacked" with influential financial industry executives.

Among those board members are Todd Thompson, former CEO of Citigroup’s global wealth management division; William H. Donaldson, member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee; and Harvey Golub, former CEO and chairman of American Express.

Dynasty is slated to move in the spring.

“We’re thrilled to have a company like Dynasty in our building,” said Ken Jones, CEO of Third Lake Capital, which bought the Priatek tower for $65.7 million in 2017. But he said there are other companies in similar discussions with St. Petersburg, too, so he’s looking for more big announcements to come.

“When I look at our investment in St. Petersburg, I think we’re in the second or third inning of the game,” Jones said. “I think there’s a lot more to come.”

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https://www.barrons.com/articles/dynasty-financial-partners-relocates-to-florida-51550618469

Dynasty Financial Partners Relocates to Florida

Dynasty Financial Partners is moving its headquarters from the Big Apple to the Sunshine State.

The company, which provides wealth management and technology platforms to RIA firms, is relocating to St. Petersburg, Fla., although it will maintain a New York office as well as client service locations in Chicago and San Francisco.

Dynasty had been looking for a year for a new home providing “economic leverage, a high quality of life for our team, a robust infrastructure, and a strong talent pool,” Shirl Penney, the company’s CEO, said in a news release. It was also looking for a home base in a growing financial services market.

Penney said the move would allow Dynasty to invest “more aggressively” in employees and resources to serve its growing client base. The company works with 47 RIAs with assets of more than $30 billion on its platform.

Dynasty expects to make new hires in business development, relationship management, technology and operations, among other areas.

“There is a rising group of talented financial services professionals in Florida as a result of other financial firms based there,” Penney added. “The young and vibrant community in St. Petersburg will allow us to hire professionals from various backgrounds at various levels of the firm.”

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https://riabiz.com/a/2019/2/19/shirl-penney-flies-south-taking-dynasty-financial-partners-to-st-petersburg-in-advance-of-a-hiring-spree-but-wont-kiss-off-the-big-apple-just-yet

Shirl Penney flies south, taking Dynasty Financial Partners to St. Petersburg in advance of a hiring spree, but won't kiss-off the Big Apple just yet

The CEO and co-founder is taking his firm to Raymond James' hometown, where he hopes to tap local talent and recruit some snow birds, as well

Brooke's Note; We expect big firms to shift operations to second- or third-tier cities. Fidelity and LPL moved much to Charlotte, N.C. Schwab moved much to Denver, Colo. Merrill Lynch is heavy in Jacksonville. But the boutique-sized firms that make up the disruptive class in the RIA world tend to stay put -- often in the most expensive markets like Chicago, San Francisco and New York. Amazon was a real anomaly moving toward an expensive market in New York City. No longer. But Dynasty's move makes sense. The firm is conceived as a back- and middle-office for big-time financial firms that have no choice but to inhabit expensive urban environments. It's where the assets are. So putting Dynasty somewhere cheap and livable makes intuitive sense. Besides, New York isn't all it's cracked up to be -- at least according to people who live in Sausalito, Calif.

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https://stpetecatalyst.com/financial-services-ceo-tells-how-st-pete-won-his-billion-dollar-firm/

Financial services CEO tells how St. Pete won his billion dollar firm

A “community bear hug” from business and government leaders in St. Petersburg was among the factors that convinced Shirl Penney, co-founder and CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners, to relocate the financial services firm.

The company announced Tuesday morning it would move its headquarters from Manhattan to St. Petersburg. It will lease the entire 15th floor of 200 Central Ave. and plans to have 35 to 40 people in the space by year’s end, Penney said.

“We looked at a lot of options and found St. Petersburg would be the right fit for us,” Penney told St. Pete Catalyst. He cited the quality of life, lower taxes, a more affordable cost of living, access to talent and the airport as playing roles in the decision.

Dynasty provides wealth management and technology platforms for independent financial advisory firms, with billions of dollars in assets on its platforms. The company’s board of directors is made up of executives from Citigroup, Smith Barney and other financial industry leaders.

Dynasty brings high-skill, high-wage jobs, with an average annual compensation of more than $200,000.

“I am so pleased to have one of today’s most innovative and entrepreneurial firms in the wealth management industry choose St. Pete for their next headquarters location, where they will be among one of the best financial services sectors in the nation,” Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a news release.

Dynasty spent the past year visiting eight cities, including Nashville, Charlotte, West Palm Beach and Lexington, Kentucky, talking with mayors, economic development agencies and other businesses.

“Because our entire platform is technology-based we can run our business anywhere,” Penney said. “A lot of cities we looked at were overheated. We see this nice inflection point now in St. Pete where there’s a healthy level of growth and with a commitment from local leadership to invest in the infrastructure to support that growth.”

It also helped that St. Petersburg is home to Raymond James Financial (NYSE: RJF), a home-grown financial services firm.

“We’re an early stage Raymond James, a young scrappy company looking to grow aggressively like Raymond James did,” Penney said.

Dynasty worked closely with the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp.

“Dynasty’s relocation is an incredible win for our community and will continue to build our region’s reputation as a financial services hub,” said Chad Loar, 2019 chairman of the St. Petersburg EDC. “Not only is Dynasty bringing high-wage jobs to St. Pete, but the firm is looking to invest in and play an integral role in building this community.”

Penney said Dynasty was offered economic incentives to relocate, but he said the incentives did not play a major role in making the decision to move. He said the biggest incentive was community support, including from the Tampa Bay Rays and owner Stu Sternberg, a former Goldman Sachs partner.

“The Rays have been incredible. Stu and the ownership of the Rays have been so welcoming to us, coming into the community,” Penney said. “Many CEOs of other businesses that the mayor connected me with have been really proactive in reaching out. It’s been what I would call a community bear hug with local entrepreneurs, with some of the CEO s of the larger businesses, it’s been very supportive.”

Another key factor was diversity, Penney said. Forty percent of Dynasty’s employees are women, double the financial services industry average, and finding a community that is supportive of diversity was really important.

A thriving arts and culture scene in St. Pete also played a role, he said.

Robert Teachey, a senior associate at CBRE, worked with Dynasty on leasing the space. Dynasty also will have signage on the building, which has been known as Priatek Plaza and One Progress Plaza.

Dynasty is growing quickly and is in acquisition mode.

“We’re looking at opportunities to buy smaller competitors. As we do that, we’ll look where it makes sense to consolidate the back offices into St. Pete. So that, in addition to our rapid organic growth, I think will pretty quickly require us to need more space,” Penney said. “We love the building but we’re watching very closely a lot of the development going on in town, and I think we’ll be a big contributor to the economic growth of the city.”

Penney, who plans to be on the ground full-time when the buildout is complete, likely in May, is already settling in with a home in ONE St. Petersburg and season tickets to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Dynasty, with about 175 advisors, will maintain its New York office, Penney said.

Dynasty last year topped $15 billion in assets on its turnkey asset management platform. In addition, Dynasty’s investment platform is approaching $1 billion in alternative assets. Overall, Dynasty Financial Partners works with 47 registered investment advisors across the U.S. with assets over $30 billion on the firm’s platform.

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https://www.si.com/soccer/video/2019/02/19/mls-commissioner-sports-gambling-we-might-well-find-way-monetize-it-0

MLS Commissioner On Sports Gambling: "We Might As Well Find A Way To Monetize It

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http://www.rheaheraldnews.com/sports/article_045b9b6b-c404-5f3d-a391-a3ef7ce8f27c.html

Surging Kentucky should challenge Mizzou's toughness

IS IT NOW OR NEVER FOR MLS TO STL?

MLS with Garber

Carolyn Kindle Betz and Jim Kavanaugh, leaders of the group hoping to land a Major League Soccer franchise for St. Louis, flank commissioner Don Garber in a visit to the league's headquarters in New York. (Photo courtesy of MLS4STL)

QUESTION: Do you think it's now or never for MLS to St. Louis? If they choose Sacramento instead of St. Louis, should STL just be done with the league?

GORDO: No, St. Louis will always be a good soccer market and I don't believe the capital behind this bid is going anywhere. St. Louis made a late re-entry into the process. Had the city started with the bid it has now, I believe it would already have a team.

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https://extra.ie/2019/02/18/sport/soccernews/watch-salford-city-teen-recreates-becks-screamer-in-front-of-the-man-himself

WATCH: SALFORD CITY TEEN RECREATES BECKS SCREAMER IN FRONT OF THE MAN HIMSELF

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https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/international/categories/international/zlatan-ibrahimovic-vows-to-break-every-record-in-major-league-soccer/650473

Zlatan Vows To 'Break Every Record In The MLS'

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https://lastwordonsoccer.com/2019/02/19/the-thing-about-the-david-beckham-statue-a-league-or-club-honor/

The thing about the David Beckham Statue: A league or club honor?

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https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/2/19/18231492/city-sign-portugal-star-nani-from-sporting-cp-mls-news

Major Link Soccer: Orlando City sign Portugal star Nani from Sporting CP

The future of the Gold Cup is up in the air, Marco Fabian is excited to get started in MLS, and lightsaber fencing is a sport now.

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https://www.goal.com/en-om/news/atlanta-united-red-bulls-lead-the-charge-as-mls-resumes-quest-to-/1r9ma86jj5y1m1jwj4uxh1o7pm

Atlanta United, Red Bulls lead the charge as MLS resumes quest to conquer the CCL

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https://sports.yahoo.com/atlanta-united-red-bulls-lead-163531229.html

Atlanta United, Red Bulls lead the charge as MLS resumes quest to conquer the CCL

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/02/19/sporting-kansas-city-announce-inaugural-patterson-cup-u-12-tournament

Sporting Kansas City announce inaugural Patterson Cup U-12 tournament

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https://www.tv360nigeria.com/nani-makes-major-league-soccer-move/

Nani Makes Major League Soccer Move

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https://www.statesman.com/sports/20190219/soccer-notebook-young-prospects-already-benefiting-from-austin-pro-soccer

Soccer notebook: Young prospects already benefiting from Austin pro soccer