Spotlight On: Mark Lamping, President, Jacksonville Jaguars

Key points:

• • Jaguars’ growth spans team performance and major downtown investments.
• • New stadium and developments aim to elevate fan experience and attract global events.
• • Focus remains on meeting fan expectations and supporting Jacksonville’s growth.

May 2026 — Invest: spoke with Mark Lamping, president of the Jacksonville Jaguars, about the organization’s recent milestones on and off the field, the role of major investments in downtown Jacksonville, and how the franchise is thinking about the fan experience and the future of sports and entertainment. “We need to have the type of organization that not only our fans, but our community can be proud of,” Lamping said.

Join us at caa’s upcoming leadership summits! These premier events bring together hundreds of public and private sector leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses and investors. Find the next summit in a city near you!

What have been the key milestones and strategic developments for the Jacksonville Jaguars as an organization over the past year?

It begins with what happens on the field. We had a new coaching staff and new football leadership staff, which led to very good results. We won our division and advanced to the playoffs, so on the field, it was a good year.

Off the field was significant as well. We continued major work on the reimagination of our Stadium of the Future. We went into a full second year of operations in our training facility, the Miller Electric Center, and most recently, we opened One Tower Court, which is the first new Class A office building built in downtown Jacksonville in close to 20 years. It now serves as the business home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, along with some other tenants.

Work continues on the Four Seasons Jacksonville Hotel and Residences. A new marina adjacent to the Four Seasons property is scheduled to open later this summer, along with a marina support building, including a new restaurant. In those things that are influenced by Shad Khan and the Khan family, we had a very active past 12 months.

What does the move into the new headquarters in downtown Jacksonville say about the organization’s long-term vision for the city?

It is clear evidence of the ownership’s commitment to Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. We join many others in showing confidence in Jacksonville through investment.

It is not just the projects that I mentioned that are directed by the Khan family. There are many other projects along the Northbank of the St. Johns River that are very transformative, including investments in the Brooklyn neighborhood, downtown investments through the Gateway Jax project, the RISE Doro project, and Ford on Bay. All of those provide very clear evidence of the confidence in downtown Jacksonville.

When you combine that with strong investment from the City of Jacksonville and the riverfront park system that now has funding to be completed, the completion of the Riverwalk from downtown to the sports complex, and the Museum of Science and History that is coming to the Northbank as well, there has never been this much activity in and around downtown Jacksonville.

What deeper meaning do these developments have for the Jaguars as a franchise?

We have always believed that to be a great community, we need a great, vibrant downtown, and we are closer to that goal with every month that passes.

Others from outside Jacksonville are coming to the same conclusion. The recent announcement of the University of Florida bringing its graduate campus to downtown Jacksonville is a clear example of the confidence that those in higher education have in the quality of the workforce. Having the University of Florida graduate campus here in Jacksonville is only going to increase the quality of the workforce here in Northeast Florida.

How would you describe the Jaguars’ role in working with the city and private partners to drive long-term economic development?

I do not think there is any question that the Khan family has taken a leadership position in making investments, perhaps before others were prepared to do so. As others had the chance to observe what Shad was doing and the confidence that he had in downtown Jacksonville, along with our collaboration with the City of Jacksonville, it encouraged those who may have been on the fence to go ahead and make that commitment to downtown Jacksonville.

Have you noticed changing expectations from fans, sponsors, and partners that are shaping the in-stadium experience and your broader engagement strategies?

Absolutely. In order to provide our sponsors, our fans, and other stakeholders with the best possible in-stadium experience, it was absolutely necessary that we make the significant commitment to deliver the Stadium of the Future, and we are well into that process.

We expect it to be complete in August 2028, and that will result in the team’s continued presence in Northeast Florida for generations to come.

The other primary objective of this investment in the Stadium of the Future is to attract even more significant international events to Jacksonville. Beyond the awareness that it creates for Jacksonville, it also creates a significant economic impact. It makes Jacksonville a more desirable place to invest, to visit, to work, and to live.

What challenges do you see for professional sports franchises in the region, and how are the Jaguars navigating them?

It is a very competitive environment. We have a fan base and other stakeholders whose wants, desires, and needs evolve over time. The challenge for organizations like ours is to make sure that we can identify those changing needs and adjust the way that we present our product to ensure that we are meeting those needs of our consumers.

How are you enhancing the fan experience and operations through digital media?

It is important to be where our customers are. The traditional communication channels for reaching the average sports fan still exist, but particularly with the younger consumer, they are consuming our content in much smaller pieces. They are connecting on different platforms than traditional broadcast media.

We need to be where our customers are, and communicate in a relevant way that the younger consumer demands.

With work on the Stadium of the Future ongoing, what are your priorities when it comes to technology advancement in the stadium?

There are two things. One, we want to make sure that we are providing all the value-added communication within the stadium that our customers expect. That means high-quality video, strong Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The one thing about live sports, and particularly in the case of the NFL, is that it is a unique experience inside the stadium, and we have to honor and protect that.

What we do not want to do is present the game inside the stadium the exact same way it might be experienced if someone chose to stay at home in front of their big-screen TV and enhanced sound system. A trip to the stadium is special, and we need to continue to protect the uniqueness of that experience.

The stadium is the only place where you have 60,000-plus people gathered together to watch a Jaguars football game.

Where do you see the sports and entertainment industry heading over the next three to five years?

I think there will be continued investment in facilities across the entirety of sports and entertainment, particularly in the NFL. You are going to see a greater focus on NFL stadiums not being just a great place to experience an NFL game, but to be the types of facilities that can host the biggest and best events in the world.

You are also going to see continued evolution to ensure that we are reaching our customers on those platforms that they migrate to, and that we are reaching them in a very relevant way.

What are the key strategic priorities moving forward for the Jacksonville Jaguars, both on and off the field?

A key priority of ours is making sure that we are meeting the needs of our customers and continue to be a positive contributor to the Jacksonville community. We need to have the type of organization that not only our fans, but our community can be proud of, and to help with the continued renaissance of downtown Jacksonville.

Want more? Read the Invest: Jacksonville report.