A Scottsdale Guy Just Got Handed the Keys to Chase Field

Big congratulations are in order for Mark Winkleman, founder and president of MGS Realty Partners, who was just named to lead the $500 million renovation of Chase Field for the Maricopa County Stadium District. It’s exactly the kind of high-stakes, high-visibility assignment that calls for someone who has already proven he can manage complicated public responsibility, and Winkleman has done that more than once.

A Track Record That Speaks for Itself

Before MGS Realty, Winkleman spent six years as Arizona State Land Commissioner under Governors Napolitano and Brewer, managing 9.3 million acres held in trust for public education and overseeing more than $1.8 billion in revenue, a record for the department at the time. After that he ran the liquidation of Mortgages Ltd. as COO of ML Manager, directing roughly $250 million in property sales through one of the more complicated real estate wind-downs in recent Arizona history. Phoenix Business Journal named him one of the Valley’s 25 most admired CEOs, and it’s easy to see why.

He’s also spent years giving back to the causes that make Scottsdale what it is, chairing the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and previously leading ULI Arizona and Valley Partnership. That’s a guy who shows up for the preserve, the industry, and the region, not just the paycheck.

Good News for the Diamondbacks

Chase Field needed someone who could handle a nine-figure construction budget, a board that includes the mayor of Phoenix and a sitting state senator, and a lease negotiation that keeps a Major League team in downtown Phoenix for the next 30 years. That’s not a job for just anybody. It’s a job for somebody who has already managed billions in public assets and walked a company through one of the messiest liquidations in state history without losing his reputation.

Mark Winkleman

The Diamondbacks have pledged up to $300 million of their own money toward this renovation, so they have real skin in the game on whether it gets done right. With Winkleman in charge, they’ve got someone who understands both the construction side and the public trust side of a deal this size.

Scottsdale should be proud to claim him. Congratulations, Mark. The Valley is rooting for you on this one.