Hunden Strategic Partners

What Hunden Strategic Partners does

Hunden Strategic Partners, doing business as Hunden Partners, is a privately held boutique consultancy specializing in destination real estate development, tourism strategy, and placemaking. Founded in 2019 (per company history and copyright notice; firmographic data lists 2006, a discrepancy noted in source material) and headquartered in Chicago with professional staff locations in San Diego and Minneapolis, the firm serves destination marketing organizations (DMOs), cities and counties, sports team owners, universities, and private developers across North America, with a stated global footprint on individual projects. The firm reports having conducted more than 1,000 studies and having been involved in the development of over $20 billion in built or planned assets worldwide.

The firm's core offerings are organized into three service lines: (1) Tourism and Placemaking Action Plans encompassing strategic plans, tourism master plans, and organization optimization assessments; (2) Financial Feasibility and Economic Impact Studies covering market studies, demand modeling, financial feasibility, Highest and Best Use (HBU) analyses, and economic impact assessments, with specialization in P3 advisory and STAR Bond financing structures; and (3) Development Advisory Services including developer RFQ/P solicitation and selection, team assembly, project oversight, owner's representation, governance/management structure services, and deal negotiation. Methodologically the firm uses proprietary frameworks including the Pillars of Place Assessment (peer-and-aspirational benchmarking) and data inputs such as cell-phone tracking analytics combined with demographic trends and competitive development assessments.

Commercially the firm operates as a sales-led professional services business targeting public-sector and institutional buyers. Distribution is direct via consulting engagements, supported by thought-leadership marketing through podcast appearances (e.g., Cecilia Sepp Podcast), industry conference speaking (e.g., Coliseum Conference Online Europe), LinkedIn, and earned media coverage. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is not disclosed in available sources. Customer concentration is anchored in municipal and DMO engagements such as the Village of Arlington Heights, Visit Springfield, and the Chicago Bears stadium site assessment. Leadership comprises Rob Hunden as President and CEO and Jay Burress as Executive Vice President of Tourism (a former Visit Anaheim President & CEO). The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent entity, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Hunden Strategic Partners

Legal name

Hunden Partners

Website

https://hunden.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hunden Partners is a privately held boutique consultancy that delivers feasibility, economic impact, and development advisory services for destination real estate projects, serving DMOs, cities and counties, sports teams, universities, and private developers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Consulting Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Development & Feasibility Advisory (Highest-and-Best-Use, Entitlements Support) (BPAJANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Real estate consulting
• Destination development
• Feasibility studies
• Economic impact analysis
• Placemaking strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Professional consulting fees for feasibility studies, economic impact analyses, tourism planning, strategic advisory, and development implementation services for destination real estate projects including sports facilities, convention centers, hotels, and entertainment venues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hunden Strategic Partners is a destination real estate development consulting firm that advises DMOs, cities, counties, universities, sports team owners, economic developers, and private developers on specialty destination assets such as sports facilities, convention and expo centers, hotels, mixed-use and entertainment districts. The firm delivers market and financial feasibility studies, economic impact analyses, tourism and placemaking strategy, and development implementation/owner's representation services to move complex destination projects from concept to funding to execution.

Product overview

Hunden Partners is a consulting firm offering a unified set of advisory services for destination real estate development, tourism, and placemaking. The core offerings include Tourism and Placemaking Action Plans (strategic planning, tourism master plans, organization assessments), Financial Feasibility and Economic Impact Studies (market analysis, demand modeling, HBU analyses), and Development Advisory Services (developer selection, project oversight, owner's representation). The firm serves cities, counties, DMOs, economic developers, team owners, universities, and private developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tourism and Placemaking Action Plans Comprehensive consulting documents that identify priority assets in the built environment and provide action steps to enhance tourism and the overall appeal of a destination (city, region, or place). Includes strategic plans, tourism master plans, and organization optimization assessments for DMOs, cities, counties, and private developers.
• Financial Feasibility and Economic Impact Studies Market studies, financial feasibility, and economic impact analyses that determine the viability of a project, the feasibility gap, and funding strategies to address the shortfall, delivered to clients such as DMOs, cities, sports teams, and private developers for sports facilities, convention centers, hotels, and entertainment venues.
• Development Advisory Services Advisory and execution services for destination development projects, including developer RFQ/P solicitation and selection, team assembly, project oversight, owner's representation, governance/management structure, deal negotiation, and procurement of developers, architects, construction, and management companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Convention center feasibility study projecting 164 new events, approximately 250 days of usage, and nearly 200,000 new visitors annually

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Village of Arlington HeightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025Hunden Partners was retained by the Village of Arlington Heights to provide assessment expertise for determining the highest and best program uses for the redevelopment of Arlington Park, a potential Chicago Bears stadium site. The team will evaluate the Bears' economic impact study and lead their own market and financial analysis, reflecting multilayered analysis capabilities for municipal development advisory.
• Visit SpringfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHunden Partners conducted feasibility and economic impact projections for Springfield's proposed $175 million convention center project, supporting the April 2026 ballot measure for a 3% lodging tax increase. Projections estimated 164 new events, 250 days of usage, and nearly 200,000 new visitors annually, with revenue neutrality targeted within 5 years.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM Advisory: AECOM's economics and management consulting practice performs large-scale feasibility and economic impact work for stadiums, convention districts, and mixed-use developments, competing with Hunden on the largest mandates.
• JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group: JLL's hospitality advisory delivers hotel feasibility, market analysis, and destination planning for municipalities and developers, competing with Hunden on tourism and lodging components of destination projects.
• Cushman & Wakefield Hospitality: Cushman & Wakefield's hospitality and tourism practice delivers hotel and destination feasibility studies, sharing Hunden's client base in municipalities and private developers at a much larger scale.
• PKF Consulting / CBRE Hotels Advisory: PKF (now within CBRE Hotels) offers hotel and tourism feasibility and appraisal services that overlap with Hunden's lodging and convention hospitality engagements, with broader institutional scale.

Emerging players

• Global Sports & Entertainment (GSE) Advisory: GSE provides feasibility and economic impact studies for stadium, arena, and entertainment district developments, overlapping directly with Hunden's sports and entertainment venue advisory pipeline.
• Convention Industry Foundation / PCMA Consulting Network: Industry associations and emerging advisory practices focused on convention center feasibility and event strategy that overlap with Hunden's DMO and convention-center advisory practice.

Direct peers

• Crossroads Consulting: Crossroads Consulting delivers market and financial feasibility studies for convention centers, arenas, hotels, and sports facilities for municipalities and authorities, mirroring Hunden's core service mix.
• Brailsford & Dunlavey: Brailsford & Dunlavey provides facility feasibility, economic impact, and P3 advisory for sports venues, convention centers, and campus developments — directly overlapping Hunden's destination development client base.
• Tourism Economics (Oxford Economics): Tourism Economics specializes in economic impact modeling for destinations and tourism assets, a core methodology Hunden applies, making it a frequent substitute on municipal and DMO studies.
• Conventions, Sports & Leisure (CSL International): CSL International is the closest direct competitor to Hunden, providing feasibility, economic impact, and funding strategy services to convention centers, sports venues, and destination developments for cities, DMOs, and team owners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hunden-strategic-partners
• Xx.com/hundenpartners
• Facebookfacebook.com/hundenpartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hunden Strategic Partners