Mike LaMartina

As chief operating officer of Ballpark Village, Mike LaMartina expected business to pick up in 2022, coming out of the COVID slowdown of the previous two years. The uptick has not just been financial, he said, but also showed in improved morale, employees’ personal growth and company culture.

“One of the greatest accomplishments in the past year has been realizing the post-pandemic impact of consumer culture and its effect in every aspect of our business,” he said. “From tourism to sports, food/beverage, hospitality, entertainment, office and residential living — all areas experienced a level of business acceleration that we planned for initially but have been waiting to see for two years. With the significant investment in development expansion that was completed in 2020, the pieces were all in place to succeed in this manner, but it took 2022 for it to all come into play.

“This is a great achievement that has been beyond rewarding to experience while continuing to create a foundation to learn and grow from on a daily basis. For all of that I am extremely grateful to be part of it all.”

Ballpark Village is a partnership between the St. Louis Cardinals and The Cordish Companies and represents the first time a professional sports venue was planned and integrated into a broader mixed-use neighborhood development. The Ballpark Village neighborhood is recognized for revitalizing downtown St. Louis, and professional sports teams and developers are using Ballpark Village as a model for projects across the country.

The development’s success is due in part to the flexibility of LaMartina and his team. Consumer trends, behaviors and economic conditions — not to mention the COVID curveball — are all hard to predict. LaMartina and his team rely on data to track those trends and adjust as needed.

“The lead time for change in social climate is shorter and shorter, and business planning needs to adapt accordingly,” he said. “Looking forward, toward what is seemingly a more stabilized culture, we will take these lessons to be able to adjust and adapt even without reaction to change, in order to stay ahead of curves and lead the way in innovation and forward-thinking strategies. The future is bright, and opportunities remain endless for those who are able to see beyond the moment and understand that change remains inevitable, but planning will position growth and reactivity in the most beneficial way. My goals will have shorter range planning but will remain long term in intent.”