34 November 2026

Boston, MA – Suffolk has launched a Sports Center of Excellence, led by Matt Swaim, to unite its sports expertise, local market knowledge and technologydriven capabilities in a single national practice. Built on more than 40 years of experience in the sports sector, the new Center of Excellence brings together more than 260 Suffolk professionals with sports experience to give clients access to specialized expertise at every stage of a project while connecting Suffolk’ s regional teams through shared resources, project playbooks and best practices. Its work will span stadiums, training facilities, arenas, collegiate recreation centers and other sports and entertainment venues across the country. The company has also named Will Gamba vice president of preconstruction for sports and entertainment.

Matt Swaim

“ Sports bring people together and strengthen entire communities. As our clients grow more ambitious and athletic facilities become more sophisticated, our experienced Sports Center of Excellence team, led by Matt and Will, will leverage data, advanced technologies like AI, and proven planning and construction processes to deliver projects as promised,” said John Fish, chairman and CEO of Suffolk.“ We are thrilled Matt and Will are leading our efforts to redefine how sports facilities are planned, built and delivered.”

Matt Swaim, executive vice president at Suffolk, will lead the Sports Center of Excellence and partner with clients and regional teams to deliver sports and entertainment venues and experiences that shape how fans, teams and communities connect. His focus will include strengthening client partnerships, aligning national resources and bringing a solutions-oriented approach to complex projects across the sports landscape.

With more than 25 years of experience delivering sports and entertainment projects, Swaim brings a deep understanding of the sector and a strong owner-operator perspective. Prior to joining Suffolk, he served as

Gillette Stadium North End Zone expansion / Photo by Tom Harris

vice president of real estate, design and construction at Nike, where he led the master planning and delivery of the company’ s 300-acre, 4 million sf campus expansion. At Suffolk, he will help strengthen preconstruction and planning practices, support project staffing and advance consistent approaches to risk management, scheduling and execution across the company’ s national sports practice.

“ Sports projects require a level of planning, coordination, and execution that matches the significance of the opening day deadline,” said Swaim.“ But delivering a successful sports facility is about more than meeting a date. It is about understanding how a venue will operate, connect with its community, and perform long after opening day. Suffolk already has an exceptional foundation of talent and experience in this sector. The Center of Excellence will allow us to connect that

Will Gamba expertise more intentionally, apply our technology and data capabilities earlier in the process, and provide clients with a coordinated national practice focused on sports and entertainment.”

That work begins in preconstruction, where early decisions about program, budget, planning and procurement set the course for successful project delivery.

New England Patriots training facility field / Photo by Populous

Suffolk appointed Gamba to strengthen this phase. Based at Suffolk’ s Boston headquarters, Gamba will oversee preconstruction for the company’ s major sports projects, guiding them from conceptual design through guaranteed maximum price.

“ Preconstruction is essential to every successful project, but it is especially critical on sports projects, where opening dates are fixed, programs are highly specialized, and decisions must account for the needs of owners, teams, fans, and communities,” said Gamba.“ Our dedicated sports team brings the experience needed to align program, budget, and schedule early, plan procurement, and secure the right resources. That gives clients greater clarity and confidence as their projects move from concept to construction.”

The Center will also build on Suffolk’ s focus on developing talent. More than 100 Suffolk Career Starts in the past five years have been collegiate athletes, creating a strong pipeline of professionals who understand the teamwork, preparation and accountability required to deliver at the highest level.

Suffolk’ s sports portfolio includes Gillette Stadium’ s North End Zone Expansion, the New England Patriots Training Center, Northeastern University’ s Matthews Arena, Boston College Field House, the Hoag Pavilion in Conte Forum at Boston College, Bentley University Arena, University of New Hampshire Whittemore Center Renovation, Williams College’ s Multipurpose Recreation Center and Estero Sports Park.

“ The strongest sports teams understand that preparation creates performance,” said Swaim.“ Our goal is to bring that same discipline to every phase of the work, from the earliest planning conversations through the final day in the field.” www. high-profile. com