As you probably know by now, Dr. Steve Burton is now the former CEO of SportsQuest in Chesterfield County. The new CEO, Dudley Duncan, was selected by a new board of directors.
So far, the project has been a mixture of successes and failures. A series of soccer tournaments have had major positive impacts on the county economy, particularly restaurants and hotels in the immediate area. For example, a few days after one of the first week-end soccer events, an employee at Panera's on Brad McNeer Parkway reported that Saturday had been the busiest in the history of that location. Noteworthy is that interest has already been expressed by another sports/recreation business (RISE) in acquiring the soccer fields.
Not much else has gone right for SportsQuest. Unpaid bills are in 7 figures, law suits abound, and the state AG's office is in the mix.
My own view is the overall project will be a success. It may continue as a single operation or it may be in pieces but there will be an extensive presence of outdoor (for sure) and indoor (farther into the future) recreation on the current SportsQuest property.
Also in my view, Steve Burton is part of a group of entrepreneurs who can generate great ideas but often have difficulty with the implementation. In this case, I believe he tried to go too far, too fast. Hopefully, Dudley Duncan and the new board of directors will bring a more measured, considered pace as opportunities are identified and exploited.
News stories are here, here, and here.
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