Going Pro; Two Tampa Bay Entrepreneurs Thrive In Sports Facilities Business

Where do you take your career after you’ve summited some of the world’s most challenging mountain peaks, built aerial adventure parks across the country, and trained top-ranking CEO’s in leadership? The answer for Tampa Bay entrepreneur Dev Pathik was to focus on the future; to bring more and better sports and recreation options to communities across the country with the help of his business partner Jason Clement.

Emma Conrad, 14, of Hilliard, demonstrates the “Leap of Faith” obstacle on The Gauntlet, a 42 -foot tall climbing center, during a VIP grand opening event for Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports complex March 23, 2017, in Hilliard, Ohio.

Since 2003, the two have built an internationally known sports development group that owns Zip lines and Aerial Adventure Parks, Bo Jackson’s Sports Leadership Centers of America, the leading sports facility feasibility and finance services company and a management company that oversees all types of sports facilities, events centers, and community recreation centers.

Operated under the umbrellas of The Sports Facilities Advisory and the Sports Facilities Management, founding partners Dev Pathik and Jason Clement have served projects in Qatar, Thailand, India, The Caribbean, South and Central America, Canada and over 1,000 projects in the U.S. including services to Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco county.

The firms were first launched by Dev Pathik in 2003 to provide business planning and financing services to sport and recreation centers. Pathik saw a need when the private sector began investing in sport and recreation facilities.  Pathik, a former climber and mountaineer, had developed several adventure based businesses including a 10-acre adventure based team-building center at Innisbrook Resort (Palm Harbor, FL).  He was consulting with sports facilities to improve their business models with the addition of rock walls and ropes courses when he launched the Sports Facilities Advisory- a strategy and financing service that produces market research based program plans and institutional grade financial forecasts, economic impact studies, and financing documents for public and privately funded sports facilities. The firm has produced financing documents for a portfolio totaling more than $7 Billion in sports centers.

The Sports Facilities Management was first developed by Dev’s partner Jason Clement. Clement, a licensed architect with experience on numerous sporting venues, who transitioned early in his career into large corporate campus asset management.  Clement joined Pathik in 2005 and launched the Sports Facilities Management through outsourced management agreements with SFA clients. Now Clement oversees the company as CEO. Under his leadership the firm has taken off adding major new sporting complexes to their management portfolio every quarter.  With tens of millions of visits forecasted in their facilities in 2017 and 2018, Clement  and Pathik believe the future is bright for SFM.

The two have been going strong ever since and along with business partners Eric Sullivan EVP Sales and Evan Eleff EVP of SFA. The partners see nothing but growth in the future.

Pathik said, “We are currently working on well over $300 million in new developments and we are looking at expansion sites for the facilities with which we are equity partners.” Their facilities include Empower Adventure Sports Zip Lines (aerial adventure park in Oldsmar, FL) and Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports with locations in Greater Chicago and Columbus Ohio.

“The core to our success is a dogged commitment to improving communities through sport and healthy living environments.”

“Our growth is both exciting and demanding.  It requires that we constantly adapt and improve operating systems, process efficiency, and communication.  We’re making a difference, but we’re not satisfied. We aim to have an even greater impact on the well-being of families and communities” adds Clement.

“The industry is on the cusp of a massive shift,” says Pathik, “the future is bright”. Pathik predicts tha because traditional sports continue to move increasingly toward travel and competitive play, there is and will be a deep need for pure play, adventure recreation, and pursuits where athletes challenge themselves in new ways.

“We see the future in man-made competition surfing and climbing, indoor ninja style work out environments, and more dramatic sports venues that allow local users to play in environments that are built to a world class standard.”

About The Sports Facilities Companies

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) are the Nation’s leading resources for the management and development of sports, recreation, wellness, and events facilities. As a turn-key solution for community leaders and developers alike, SFC services span the gamut of sports and recreation needs from sports tourism & recreation master planning, program planning, and feasibility through professional facility management services. Our 50+ managed venues and 2500+ team members, represented by the SF Network, welcome more than 25 million guest visits and produce over $500 million in economic impact each year. To learn more, please visit SportsFacilities.com and theSFnetwork.com.