Minutes after it was announced that Onyx Equities and its partners (Russo Development, Axonic Capital and Machine Investment Group) were the first local group to grab one of the 20 sponsorship opportunities presented by the NY/NJ Host Committee for the 2026 World Cup, Onyx co-founder John Saraceno threw out the challenge.
“New Jersey companies need to step up,” he said. “This is our event; we need to own it.
“I think too many companies in New Jersey think the big New York firms are going to take care of this. In my opinion, it would be really terrible if 15 or 16 of these sponsorships go to New York companies.
“If a little company like ours can play a part in this, then no one in New Jersey has an excuse to not be a part of it.”
To be fair, the local sponsorships are not visible as the global FIFA partners (such as Bank of America and Coca-Cola). Of course, they are not as costly, either.
They are, however, more important to the success of the event.
The money raised locally – and there’s a need for more than $100 million – will go to handling all of the logistics that come with what will be the biggest global event ever. Think security, transportation, marketing.
Think all of the things that will inform the world about New Jersey.
That means something to Jersey guy Saraceno.
“This is New Jersey’s moment to shine on an international platform,” he said. “When they’re flying in to watch it, they’re flying into Newark. When they’re taking the train in, they’re coming into New Jersey.
“It’s an incredible opportunity and it’s never coming again. The 1994 World Cup was awesome – it helped create my love for soccer – but this is going to be totally different. And New Jersey companies need to own it.
“That’s why I’m throwing out this challenge.”
Being a local sponsor for the World Cup is about more than just helping the event. It presents a great branding opportunity for the company, too.
Headquartered in Newark, Onyx Equities is a leading, full-service real estate firm specializing in investment, asset repositioning and ground-up development. Since its founding in 2004, Onyx has acquired more than $4.5 billion worth of diverse real estate assets throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania – including the Gateway Center in Newark, the NEST in Kenilworth and a host of others.
Onyx obviously is well known in the business world. This partnership will help elevate its profile to the rest of the state in a way that nothing else could.
Onyx Equities Co-founder Jonathan Schultz breaks it down.
“When you’re in real estate, you never think you are a brand – you think you’re part of creating community,” he said. “I think what this avails us to do in the communities that we do business in, with the properties that we operate, is to use a super-sized moment to enable more people to see and feel and touch what we do.
“At the end of the day, real estate is an asset that everyone uses – whether you’re working in it, living in it, having events in it, entertaining in it. As a brand, to be associated with this incredible sporting event, will give a little bit more notice to what we’re doing.”
Will it bring in business? Possibly. Saraceno and Schultz are quick to point out that the NEST – or Northeast Science and Technology Park – that Onyx oversees in Kenilworth is far more than just a state or a regional asset.
“We are dealing with global companies,” Saraceno said.
Will it enhance their existing business. No doubt.
Just look around, Saraceno said.
“This is the Gateway Center,” he said. “It’s the gateway to New Jersey. What’s great about this place is that when you walk around there’s all kinds of languages being spoken every morning and every afternoon and every night that you don’t hear anywhere else in the state.”
As for their employees, it’s a huge value add, Saraceno said.
“This sponsorship gives us a platform that we never thought was possible,” he said. “If you work at Onyx, you’re proud to be a New Jersey based firm, and that’s wonderful – but this means you’ve just became part of something that’s bigger than anything you could ever imagine.”
Saraceno said he welcomes other companies joining Onyx in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. He who hesitates, he said, will regret it.
“This is going to be on New Jersey soil – you can’t minimize that,” he said.
“The biggest event ever is coming to New Jersey. I don’t think people appreciate that yet. But trust me, what’s going to happen next year when this really starts to build – when you see the influx of excitement; when you see people coming in from all over the world – is going to be unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
“That’s why it was so important for us to be a part of it.”
