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September 11, 2012
Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark on the Brooklyn Brand, Jay-Z, $1 Billion Building
Billboard.biz
by Ray Waddell
Like a modern-day P.T. Barnum without the charm, Brett Yormark keeps on burnishing the legend of Brett Yormark.
Brett Yormark, CEO, Brooklyn Nets/Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Barclays Center, is a self-proclaimed "brand guy," and as such he knows a great brand when he says one. That would be Brooklyn.
Since joining the Nets organization in January of 2005, Yormark has reinvented the culture of the organization. Yormark's mission has been to make the Nets the most accessible, inventive, fan-friendly, and community-active team in sports. And that mission will come to bear physically in the form of the Barclays Center, the Nets' new home beginning for the start of the 2012-13 NBA season.
...Billboard: How did the New Jersey Nets to end up in Brooklyn at the new Barclays Center?
Brett Yormark: Bruce Ratner had the vision of bringing sports and entertainment back to Brooklyn and building a mixed-use development at Flatbush and Atlantic for the arena and the team, which really would be the anchor of this renaissance of downtown Brooklyn. It took a little longer than expected. There was a little opposition. But I give all the credit to Bruce for persevering, having the vision, and sticking with that vision.
Anchor the renaissance? The renaissance has been happening for more than a decade. The arena is more likely Brooklyn's jump-the-shark moment.
I'd agree, the arena feels very "Brooklyn." I've rarely seen a venue built to integrate so completely into its neighborhood, and reflect the vibe of that neighborhood.
Oh, God. Mike Wallace this guy is not.
You're absolutely right. SHoP Architects and Ellerbe Beckett, they've done an incredible job of truly speaking to the borough and integrating the architectural flavor of the building in a way that really fits the borough. The grittiness of the weathered steel exterior really speaks to the strength of Brooklyn, and the boldness of it. The terrazzo flooring across the concourse, the black ceilings, exposed loft-type environment, I really think they've captured it all.
It gets better.
A big part of this project is the 20-year naming rights deal with Barclays. How much did it mean to you to get that deal done?
...For me, what I'm most proud of is the cultural fit for Barclays.
Come again?
Tell me about that, it just seems so unlikely.
You can either do it for the money or you can do it for the partnerships, and thankfully, in our case we did it for both reasons. Financially, they made a very appealing offer to us, but more important than the financials is, we just believed in Barclays and Barclays believed in us, and that goes to the highest levels.
Posted by eric at September 11, 2012 11:01 PM