Arlington, Texas -- The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies are pleased to announce its first key executive appointment to the Texas Live! team, naming Jim Watry as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Watry brings more than 20 years of experience in the dining, entertainment and hospitality industry to this role, as well as a long history of community and philanthropic involvement.
"Jim's experience and passion for community-driven initiatives make him the perfect candidate for this position," stated Rob Matwick, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Texas Rangers. "In our commitment to delivering a dynamic development to the City of Arlington that maximizes benefits and opportunities to local residents and businesses, we are thrilled to have Jim on board as Chief Operating Officer to continue our commitment throughout the ongoing operations of the project."
"It is an honor to be named Chief Operating Officer of Texas Live!," stated Jim Watry. "There is incredible momentum happening in the Arlington Entertainment District with Texas Live!, Live! by Loews and the Rangers' new ballpark, Globe Life Field, all currently under construction. I am extremely proud to be joining the team at such an exciting time and look forward to the opening of Texas Live! later this year."
Prior to Texas Live!, Mr. Watry served as Chief Operating Officer of Ballpark Village, a dynamic sports-anchored dining and entertainment district in St. Louis, MO in partnership between The Cordish Companies and St. Louis Cardinals. Due to the success of Ballpark Village under his leadership since opening in 2014, a $260 million second phase is currently under construction. The 700,000 square foot expansion will complete a full built out of Clark Street, transforming it into a vibrant 24/7 urban neighborhood for downtown St. Louis.
Texas Live!, one of the largest and most exciting sports-anchored developments in the country, is currently under construction between the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in the Arlington Entertainment District. The $250 million project will house over 200,000 square feet of best-in-class dining and entertainment space, a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion, as well as the country's flagship Live! by Loews hotel, a 300-room upscale hotel with 35,000 square feet of convention, meeting and special event space. Texas Live! is scheduled to open late summer/early fall of this year, with Live! by Loews opening in 2019. The project will sit adjacent to the Texas Rangers' new ballpark, Globe Life Field, when it opens in 2020.
Texas Live! is bringing over 3,000 new jobs to the City of Arlington and Tarrant County including 2,000 construction jobs and 1,025 permanent jobs. Hiring outreach for Texas Live! will begin this Spring.
For more information on Texas Live! or to sign up to receive news and updates, please visit www.texas-live.com.