Renne joins AECOM top-rung corporate ladder

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Jim Renne has joined the global infrastructure firm AECOM’s sports architecture practice leadership group as the Senior Vice-President (SVP) and Managing Director within the firm’s United States (US) sports practice AECOM.

‘Sports Business Journal’ stated that Renne, who started at AECOM on July 14^th and is working out of its New York (US) office, has been in the sports industry for more than 30 years mostly as an architect with Rossetti before joining the commercial real estate giant Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in March 2019.

Dallas (US)-based AECOM is a global infrastructure firm committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities they solve their clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation, and buildings. The AECOM teams partner with the public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design, and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024.

The AECOM’s sports practice encompasses the full lifecycle of sports and entertainment venues, from initial concept and planning to design, construction and operation. They work with the various stakeholders including the fans, the athletes, the sponsors, and the countries to create spaces that are functional, engaging and sustainable. Their expertise covers a wide range of areas including architecture, engineering, construction management, and program management.

Detroit (US)-based Rossetti is a collective of studios with expertise in planning, architecture, interiors, and analytics. They are known globally for their expertise in the design of sports and entertainment venues.

Chicago (US)-based JLL is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. JLL shapes the future of real estate for a better world by using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for their clients, their people and their communities.

‘Sports Business Journal’ further stated that with Rossetti, Renne worked on venues in nearly every pro sports league as well as with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) (the Daytona Rising Project – a massive, $400 million redevelopment of the 1,01,500-capacity Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Beach, Florida). At JLL, he expanded his expertise into sports venue-anchored mixed-use development, a skill set he’s looking to deploy with AECOM as Renne remarked, “taking a lot of that experience and relationships with private capital and finance and how we look at the venues in a way that also extends into larger destinations.”

Daytona Beach (US)-based the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), LLC is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top-ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports leagues in America.

Renne joins the AECOM Sports senior leadership group that includes Bill Hanway (Executive Vice-President [EVP] and Global Sports and Social Infrastructure Leader) and Dan Meis (Director of Global Sports Design) who Renne has known for roughly 25 years. The firm just wrapped up work on the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Los Angeles Clippers’ abode – the 18,300-capacity Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California (US) – and is the LA28 Olympics’ official Venue Infrastructure Partner assisting the Organizing Committee with all aspects of the Games’ physical footprint. But AECOM’s sports practice is undoubtedly on the hunt for another major venue project. And the broader real estate knowledge Renne gained from serving as an Owners’ Representative (a professional hired by a project owner to manage and oversee the project on their behalf acting as their advocate and point of contact throughout the entire process) at JLL is coveted in a sports industry increasingly thinking about the space around its venues.

Concluded Renne, “There is an economic side to that and a development side to that, understanding how the capital markets look at projects like this, but it’s a natural extension. The fan experience is obviously not just within the venue. You arrive at a destination, that’s where it all starts. And really complementing the arena or the stadium to think of it more holistically. I think we all have to do that.”

The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 14^th-30^th, 2028 in the United States. Los Angeles will be the Host City with various events also scheduled to be held at the other Cities spread across the Greater Los Angeles area plus two subsites in Oklahoma City.

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