The Atlanta Falcons today announced the appointment of Scott Jenkins to the newly-created position of general manager of the new Atlanta stadium, which will be operated by a division of AMB Sports & Entertainment Group. Jenkins will join the group on February 24 and will provide insight into the planning and construction of the new multi-purpose facility leading up to its opening in 2017, after which he will manage the operations of the stadium.
Jenkins comes to the Falcons from the Seattle Mariners, where he spent the past seven-and-a-half years as vice president of ballpark operations. He was responsible for all ballpark operations, capital budget planning and construction projects for Safeco Field, a 46,000-seat retractable roof stadium. Before his time with the Mariners, Jenkins served as vice president of stadium operations and facility management for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he opened and managed stadium operations for Lincoln Financial Field and the Novacare Complex that houses all team offices and training facilities. He also previously served as vice president of stadium operations for the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he opened and managed Miller Park, and as the general manager of the Kohl Center for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"Scott joins us at an important time in the new stadium's development," Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay said. "His experience, dedication, leadership and passion for sports and facilities management will add tremendous value as we finalize the stadium design and begin construction in April. We look forward to his contributions in these areas, as well as in managing the operations of the stadium beginning in 2017."
Jenkins is a pioneer in the green building movement in sports and was an inaugural member of the Green Sports Alliance, an organization co-founded by the Natural Resources Defense Council dedicated to improving green building practices in sport. He now serves as the president and chairman of the Green Sports Alliance and was honored with the 2013 Natural Resources Defense Council Game Changer Award and the 2012 NW Energy Coalition Conservation Eagle Award.
"My interest in this project was sparked the first time I saw renderings of the stadium," Jenkins said. "Mr. Blank's vision to create a cutting edge design will set a new standard for the stadium experience. I couldn't be more thrilled to join the effort to bring this vision to life. This stadium will create an icon for Atlanta that will have many positive impacts in the city, region and state."
A native of Kenosha, WI, Jenkins graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in construction administration. He graduated from the University of Washington's Executive MBA program in 2009. While an undergraduate at Wisconsin, Scott was a five-time All-American in cross country and track and was a member of the Badgers' 1982 and 1985 NCAA National Champion Cross Country teams.
The general manager search was conducted by executive search firm RSR Partners' Global Sport Leadership Practice.
