VOL 27 ISSUE 9, March 2, 2026
Main caption: Delaware North’s subsidiary presidents and managing directors for the United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand shared their perspectives on the state of the business in a roundtable moderated by Beth MacDonald, senior vice president of strategic and operational finance. Pictured, from left to right, are MacDonald; Glen Thornborough, president of TD Garden and executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of the Boston Bruins; Derek Zwickey, COO of Parks and Resorts; JK Kolaski, president of Patina Group; Tom Barney, president of Sportservice; Doug Tetley, managing director of Delaware North U.K.; Gary Brown, managing director of Delaware North Australia and New Zealand; and Jason Gregorec, president of Gaming.
Delaware North’s three executive vice presidents – Ana Rodriguez, chief human resources officer; Chris Feeney, chief financial officer; and Jamie Obletz, chief operating officer – took the stage on Feb. 23 at the 2026 Global Leadership Meeting (GLM) to outline expectations and priorities for the year.
Rodriguez kicked off the EVP session by reiterating that Delaware North’s vision “To delight guests by creating the world’s best experiences today while reimagining tomorrow,” is as relevant as ever. She previewed that the GLM would spend significant time exploring what “reimagining tomorrow” truly means for the organization.
“This year marks an inflection point for our company as we enter the next chapter of our story,” Rodriguez said. “The decisions we make – and how we lead – will define our trajectory for years to come.”
Feeney followed with an overview of the overall state of the business, highlighting several areas of strength, including the talent of our teams, the strength of our businesses and our excellent corporate reputation grounded in our values.
He also acknowledged that external pressures and internal complexities have contributed to inconsistent performance across the portfolio. Feeney emphasized his confidence in the leadership team’s ability to overcome these challenges.
“The gap between our potential and our performance is real,” he said, “and it’s on us as leaders to close it.”
Obletz closed the session by reinforcing that the Performance Aspirations introduced in 2025 continue to serve as a guiding framework for the years ahead: driving market innovation and differentiation, pursuing operational excellence and efficiency, becoming a data-driven enterprise and elevating hospitality standards and experiences.
He explained that these aspirations form the foundation for Delaware North’s priorities in 2026, including redesigning the marketing function and go-to-market strategies, achieving financial targets, reestablishing the technology and data roadmap, and designing and implementing a new hospitality framework.
“This week is the spark,” Obletz said in closing. “Your commitment, your leadership, your engagement is what will carry us through the year.”
The company’s subsidiary presidents and managing directors for the United Kingdom and Australia/New Zealand shared their perspectives on the state of the business in a roundtable moderated by Beth MacDonald, senior vice president of strategic and operational finance.
Each talked about key initiatives for their respective Delaware North businesses:
- Sportservice: Tom Barney, president of Sportservice, noted the focus on elevating capabilities, pursuing growth across channels and reimagining value. He cited last year’s impressive revamp of the San Diego Padres retail store as an example. “Let’s be fantastic at what we choose to focus on.”
- TD Garden/Boston Bruins: Glen Thornborough, president of TD Garden and executive vice president and COO of the Boston Bruins, highlighted the current phased renovation of TD Garden’s suites and future master planning to continue enhancing the venue for the Bruins, key partner the Boston Celtics and the busy concert and entertainment programming around the two teams.
- Parks and Resorts: Derek Zwickey, COO, said the new alternative lodging premium brand Waybound will launch at Tenaya at Yosemite this spring after renovations to the existing Explorer Cabins and clubhouse. Cactus Moon Lodge, a recent acquisition near Austin, Texas, is the next focus.
- Gaming: Jason Gregorec, president of Gaming, pointed to several current opportunities to “grow the portfolio,” including the planned move of Gate City Casino in Nashua, N.H., to the Sheraton Nashua, expanding online gaming to new markets and launching a new omnichannel brand this spring.
- Patina Group: John Kolaski (JK), president of Patina Group, said Patina Group is building “scalable brands” with Hundredfold and Hencraft, including pending new openings; protecting and expanding profit margins; and supporting the Delaware North enterprise with culinary excellence and radical hospitality, especially to elevate premium dining and create new events.
- United Kingdom: Managing Director Doug Tetley celebrated the successes of and continuing to leverage the theming of food and beverage menus, catering and activations for the large concerts and other events at Wembley Stadium such as for Taylor Swift in 2024. The team is also working with clients to build strong event calendars at Wembley and other venues.
- Australia/New Zealand: Managing Director Gary Brown said optimizing the portfolio is a priority, pointing to the recent new food and beverage contact for the Victoria Racing Club and potentially other venues, as well as launching a long-term lodging strategy. Continued investment in infrastructure and technology is also planned.