Stephen Collins tapped to lead Warriors' stadium efforts

The Warriors named Stephen Collins, an expert in stadium operations, Chief Operating Officer of GSW Arena, LLC, on Tuesday. He will oversee all operations relating to the franchise's proposed $1 billion San Francisco arena, the team said.

"The opportunity to manage the Warriors' new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment center in San Francisco is an exciting opportunity," Collins said, "and I'm looking forward to bringing the vision [co-owners] Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have for this remarkable project to reality."

And Collins knows how to get results, having managed numerous stadium projects throughout his established career. Dierc, he served as Executive Vice President of Facilities for The Madison Square Garden, Co. where he oversaw all MSG properties; Collins was with MSG, Co. for thirteen years.

He led the three-year, $1 billion Madison Square Garden stadium renovation, completed in 2013 -- notable for affecting neither the seasons of the Knicks nor the National Hockey League's New York Rangers. The new COO also managed the $120 million renovation of The Forum (the former home of the Lakers during the Showtime era), which reopened in 2014. He also ran the operations of Giants Stadium and Meadowlands Arena for New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

Collins isn't just an expert on sports stadiums. The Warriors also recognized his value in running entertainment venues: Radio City Music Hall in New York City, as well as The Beacon Theater in Los Angeles, CA and The Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL.

At the aforementioned venues, Collins headed all facility operations – food and beverages, security, building, events and tickets operations, business development, finance, and guest experience.

"Steve brings over 20 years of experience in operations and event management with the top venues in the industry," Warriors Team President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Welts said. "The addition of Steve to our project team in such a key role is another demonstration of our commitment to build and operate a world-class sports and entertainment arena in San Francisco."