Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

67 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS stadium was torn down; though it remained in Foxborough for over 30 years.” In 2001, Gillette Stadium was built by the Kraft Family after they had bought the former Schaefer Stadium in 1988 and then took ownership of the football team in 1994. The Kraft Family (now referred to as the Kraft Group) had a vision and mission of success for the Patriots that has also benefited the Town of Foxborough by becoming one of the most widely recognized community names in the country. Once the Kraft Group took over ownership of the team, “of course, the rest is history,” Keegan adds. “During the past 20 years, the Patriots have dominated the NFL by consistently being one of the best teams in their conference and by capturing an historic six Super Bowl Championships.” In addition to attracting world-wide sports attention to the Town, the Kraft Group has made a lasting impact not just on Foxborough but to other stadium cities across the country. “I think the Kraft Group has done more to change the dynamic of the NFL corporate world by being creative in their non-sports related investments,” says Keegan. “They came up with this concept of capitalizing on the stadium as an attraction and as a focal point for economic development. Today that model has been followed almost everywhere in the country where new stadiums are being built”. The Kraft Group’s development portfolio in Foxborough includes Patriot Place, a 1.3 million square foot complex that features retail shopping, two hotels, a theater, and 19 restaurants. It is also home to the Mass General/ Brigham Healthcare complex. “We have over 300,000 square feet of world class healthcare within the Patriot Place campus; it’s the world- class healthcare delivery system that you would get in Boston that now also resides here in Foxborough; and it’s been hugely successful,” says Ted Fire, Vice President of Construction and Patriot Place - Courtesy of The Kraft Group