Media Coverage

Hunden Partners’ assessment expertise will help the Village of Arlington Heights determine the highest and best program uses for the redevelopment of Arlington Park, a potential Chicago Bears stadium site. Our team will evaluate the Bears’ economic impact study, and we will lead our own market and financial analysis. Arlington Heights officials voted recently to hire Hunden because we provide multilayered analysis and have a history of advising municipalities with a vision to develop mixed-use districts with stadium anchors, and we’ve worked with the Bears executive team.

Through Hunden Partners’ ongoing collaboration with Metro, Metro Council and the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission anticipate a January vote to affirm a new plan to redevelop the Portland Expo Center into a dynamic sports, tourism, and cultural engagement hub. Earlier this year, Hunden Partners completed a comprehensive assessment of the local and regional sports market and Expo’s current business model, which resulted in a comprehensive vision for Expo’s future.

The approximately $300-million proposed redevelopment program includes: • A commitment to honor Expo’s profound history with a community center and memorialization and representation exhibited throughout the buildings and site to honor Portland’s Japanese American, Black, and Indigenous communities; • State-of-the-art twin ice sheet facility to support hockey, figure skating, and other ice sports; • An indoor court facility designed to accommodate flat-floor sporting events, with space for nine basketball and 18 volleyball courts; • An athletic and entertainment facility that houses sport-support spaces, a family entertainment center, and food and beverage offerings.

Hunden’s work demonstrates the transformative potential of this project, with a projected 1.5 million annual visitors—up from the current 300,000 at Expo’s current facilities—and the addition of 64 new sports tournaments and more than 50,000 new hotel room nights annually to the Portland region. Follow-on phases of development on the site may include a hotel and other commercial uses. This redevelopment would elevate Portland’s presence in the sports tourism sector and serve as a space for connection, reflection, and community enrichment.

Fort Worth’s Future: A Strategic Expansion

The City of Fort Worth announced the next construction phase of the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion is expected to begin in 2026. The $606 million project will modernize the aging complex to meet the rapidly growing demands of Fort Worth.

Hunden Partners and Rob(in) Hunden have been at the forefront of this transformative effort, having conducted numerous studies over the past 20 years. A 2019 study projected $6.9 billion in new spending over the next 30 years from the expansion, including an additional 97,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, 48,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and a 50,000-square-foot grand ballroom designed to accommodate larger conventions and drive economic impact.

As city leaders and stakeholders continue to champion this project, the expansion will redefine the City of Fort Worth’s downtown skyline and position the city as a premier destination for large-scale events and conventions. The expansion is more than just a building project—it's a strategic investment in the city's future.

Inc. Magazine released its Inc. 5000 list today!

Hunden Partners is ranked 2,622 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list, placing us among the fastest-growing private companies in America! We are especially thrilled to rank 54 in real estate and 119 in Illinois. The ranking provides a data-driven look at the most successful companies within the economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent, entrepreneurial businesses.

“We’re so honored to be recognized by Inc. for our business growth and continued expansion,” says Rob(in) Hunden, CEO and Founder of Hunden Partners. “Without our amazing team, this achievement would not be possible. I am honored with this recognition, but even more, I'm grateful to be surrounded by talented, passionate professionals daily who made this growth possible.”

We're honored to be part of this dynamic group of businesses shaping the future of our economy. Thank you to our clients, partners, and incredible team for helping us reach this milestone!

Hunden Partners Analyzes Philadelphia’s Arena Market: Can a National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) Arena Separately Exist without Long-term Public Support?

At Hunden, we support downtown development and projects that create synergistic walkable uses that generate a lively atmosphere for residents and visitors to live, work, and be entertained. However, our study in Philadelphia concerned how much the market can grow with two major arenas in the market, and if that growth is enough to support long-term private financing of renovations and rebuilds over the long haul. What is the net new impact to the city of Philadelphia? What are the likely long-term impacts? Our study tells a cautionary tale from other markets of similar strength that have developed separate NHL and NBA arenas. The downstream impacts can challenge both operations and the viability of the venues if conditions are not just right.

“We pride ourselves on just simply telling the truth based on the analytics that we figure out,” said Hunden Partners President and CEO Rob(in) Hunden, whose firm is one of the leaders in this niche of the sports world. “One client isn’t worth 20 years of credibility damage.”