The New York Jets today announced a 12-year naming rights agreement with Atlantic Health, a leading health care organization in Northern New Jersey. The Jets corporate headquarters and training facility will be named the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. The announcement was made during a cornerstone ceremony at the site of the new headquarters.
New York Jets CEO Woody Johnson was joined by Atlantic Health President and CEO Joseph Trunfio, Atlantic Health Executive Vice President and Morristown Memorial Hospital COO Dr. Joanne Conroy, Governor Jon Corzine, Senator Richard Codey, Assemblyman Joseph Roberts, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Carl Goldberg and numerous local elected officials for the announcement of the Jets naming rights partner. The dignitaries also participated in a cornerstone-laying ceremony.
As part of the naming rights agreement, the Atlantic Health brand, as the official health care sponsor of the New York Jets, will be incorporated on signage throughout the complex. In addition, Atlantic Health, which owns and operates Morristown Memorial and Overlook hospitals, will serve as the title sponsor for the Jets 101/201 Clinic, in which former and current Jets players conduct various football-related drills and classroom instruction for participants, and the Jets television show "First and Goal," aired on SportsNet New York. Other brands under the Atlantic Health umbrella include the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, Atlantic Sports Health, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, Goryeb Children's Hospital and Gagnon Heart Hospital.
"This is an exciting day for our franchise," said Johnson. "Not only are we creating a competitive advantage for our team by building a first-rate corporate campus to accommodate the needs of our football and business operations and utilizing the best that technology has to offer, we are also partnering with a company that has deep roots in the New Jersey community. We are thrilled to call them our partner."
"Atlantic Health is nationally recognized for the outstanding medical care its hospitals and physicians provide," said New York Jets President Jay Cross. "They are at the cutting edge of medical technology and they will complement our efforts to build state-of-the-art training and medical facilities and a first-rate teaching and learning center for our players. We look forward to becoming part of this community and working closely with Atlantic Health, a health care organization that has long been committed to corporate citizenship."
"As Northern New Jersey's health care leader, Atlantic Health is thrilled to welcome the New York Jets as neighbors and to sponsor this exciting new training facility," said Trunfio. "This location, so close to Morristown Memorial Hospital with its advanced orthopedics, trauma and sports medicine programs, and to Overlook Hospital, home of the Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, makes this new relationship a natural fit with tremendous potential to grow."
"This is a tremendous day for both the Jets and for the State of New Jersey and it builds on the historic partnership we have developed," said Gov. Corzine. "This new facility will serve as both a world-class football training center and an engine of economic growth for the region."
"The Jets' investment in New Jersey is a tremendous win all around — for our diehard football fans, for our economy and for the Florham Park community, which now has a trusted partner for its athletic programs," said Codey.
"Not only will New Jersey gain a corporation committed to community involvement, but our state will reap significant economic benefits from the tax revenues generated by the practice and training facilities," said Goldberg. "This is a special day for the citizens of our great state who will benefit from the partnership of two outstanding organizations."
On March 31, 2006, after a several-months search during which more than 40 sites were considered as their potential new home, the New York Jets announced they would relocate their facilities from Long Island to Florham Park, N.J.
The relocation of the Jets headquarters will generate local jobs and more than $10 million annually in new tax revenue for the state. The agreement with Florham Park also provides for the Jets to create an annual $50,000 fund that the borough will dedicate to athletic and recreational facilities and programs.
Construction commenced in mid-April with site clearing and preparation activities, including utility installations and construction of an on-site storm retention pond. This summer the first concrete was laid and just last week the first sod was laid. Construction of the site is overseen by the Hunter Roberts Construction Group.
Led by architects David Childs, architect of the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, and Roger Duffy of Skidmore, Owings, Merrill (SOM), the new facility will accommodate all the needs of the football and business operations and will create a competitive advantage for the team. From cutting-edge training and medical facilities to a first-rate teaching and learning center, the facility will enhance the player experience and performance.
In addition to the 120,000-square-foot building, which will house the indoor training facilities and classrooms and about 100 employees, the corporate headquarters will also include an 86,000-square-foot field house accommodating one full-size indoor artificial turf field and four outdoor fields — three natural grass and one artificial turf.
The project is slated to be completed in the fall of 2008. Business operations are expected to move in at that time, followed by football operations in the spring of 2009.
About Atlantic Health
Atlantic Health (atlantichealth.org) is one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey and includes Overlook Hospital in Summit and Morristown Memorial Hospital. The two hospitals have a combined 1,133 licensed beds and more than 2,100 affiliated physicians providing a wide array of health care services to the 5 million residents of 11 northern and central New Jersey counties. Specialty services include cardiovascular care, neurosciences, pediatrics, cancer care; orthopedics, diabetes care, gastroenterology, trauma and emergency medicine, behavioral health, minimally invasive surgery, radiology and advanced diagnostics, women's health and maternal fetal medicine, home and hospice care and rehabilitation services. In 2008 Atlantic Health will complete the new Gagnon Heart Hospital, a 250,000-square-foot facility that will consolidate all cardiovascular services at Morristown Memorial Hospital.
Atlantic Health maintains a partnership with The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Atlantic Health's hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission. Atlantic Health is the primary academic and clinical affiliate in New Jersey of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and The Mount Sinai Hospital.
About SOM
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP is an architecture firm focused on design excellence and innovation that has completed many iconic buildings throughout the world. SOM has eight offices strategically located across the globe and recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. The firm's work has been widely published and enjoyed widespread international recognition. David Childs is currently working on a number of important projects in the region, including the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan, the Moynihan Station Project and the Jets training facility. The SOM Education Lab, led by Roger Duffy, has extensive experience with teaching and learning environments and will be taking a lead on the Jets project. The SOM Education Lab is working on several academic and athletic projects in the Northeast.
About Hunter Roberts Construction Group
Hunter Roberts is providing preconstruction and construction management services for the Jets on their new corporate headquarters and training facility. Hunter Roberts provides a complete range of services including preconstruction, program management, value engineering, construction management, general contracting and consulting for clients with projects in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas.
