Martye Kendrick bringing energy to critical NRG Stadium scenario

Martye Kendrick’s bright and bubbly personality cuts through even a Friday Microsoft Teams call.

The former attorney will need all that positivity for the challenge of determining NRG Stadium’s future in her new role as CEO and executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. (HCSCC). It’s the entity that oversees the 350-acre NRG Park, which includes the Texans’ county-owned stadium, as well as the Astrodome, NRG Arena and the NRG Center convention space (and not to be confused with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, which oversees the Astros, Rockets and Dynamo/Dash’s venues).

“She’s very well respected in the community here, both generally in the corporate community and on the municipal side with her work in public law,” said attorney Denis Braham, who was Kendrick’s legal colleague at Greenberg Traurig, and who incidentally is representing the Texans in this scenario. “She has a great work ethic and she’s a very pleasant person to work with. She’s not afraid to learn and she’s very deliberate in how to learn, how to listen, and how to act.”

Kendrick was hired for the full-time role in December from Greenberg Traurig, where she practiced public finance law, mostly focusing on the kind of public-private partnerships (P3) she’ll try to forge between the HCSCC and the Texans. Kendrick had previously been a member of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, which first piqued her interest in the sports industry.

“With everything that goes on in the world, sports is that one thing that brings everyone together,” said the Howard Law School grad. “You’ve got a unique situation here where you’ve got publicly financed facilities, real estate and development opportunity and for me that’s a culmination of my experience and career path.”

Peering into the future

Kendrick’s arrival comes at a pivotal time for the 23-year-old NRG Stadium. A recent report, unearthed by the Houston Business Journal, said the venue — whose upkeep is handled by the county — needs roughly $1.4 billion worth of deferred and ongoing maintenance over the next few decades (an eye-watering figure that doesn’t even include renovations or improvements). The stadium is hosting 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches, but that assignment wasn’t predicated on a major renovation being completed by then.

The Texans’ lease ends in 2031 and the next one (if there is one) will be very different from the agreement signed over 20 years ago. The county currently is on the hook for all ongoing maintenance costs, with no required contribution from the Texans or the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Show (the stadium’s other main tenant).

That will almost certainly be changed in any new deal.

At Greenberg Traurig, Braham’s office sat next to Kendrick’s; now they’ll be sitting across the negotiating table from each other. And last week, the Texans hired former Legends co-President and COO Mike Tomon as team president, meaning there are two new key faces determining the stadium’s future.

“The Texans are very focused on the upgrade,” said Braham. “So, we’re actually at a very exciting time for NRG; you’ve got new people involved — and this is not to say anything bad about people that were involved — and the McNair family are very committed.”