Matthew Ryan has built a career leading engineering and infrastructure organizations, managing operations, strategic planning, and growth for firms engaged in complex technical projects. As CEO of TMC and former leader of an engineering company in Raleigh near Cary NC, he has overseen programs that required collaboration across public agencies, private partners, and multidisciplinary teams. His earlier experience at HDR, Industrial Piping, and Infrastructure Management Group, along with prior federal service, provides perspective on how coordinated funding, governance, and expertise support large scale initiatives. These insights align with the role of public private partnerships in enabling projects that combine private sector innovation with public sector mission objectives.
How Public-Private Partnerships Enable Impactful Projects
Public-private partnerships (PPPs, or P3s) encompass various types of business and economic development. Often, accessing funds and resources from the government-backed public sector allows private companies to pursue projects at a scale that would be otherwise unfeasible. On the other hand, gaining access to the innovative ideas, products, and processes of the private sector provides public agencies with the impetus to expand their boundaries and instill competitive and expeditious practices within a bureaucratic setting.
One noteworthy example of a large-scale PPP is the Gateway Arch (officially the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial). Eero Saarinen, a Finnish-American architect, designed the curved structure built in 1965. The 63-story arch incorporates a tram that travels to an observation deck at the top of the monument, which runs 630 feet leg-to-leg.
The Gateway Arch commemorates President Thomas Jefferson’s vision of westward expansion, which resulted in the transcontinental exploratory mission of Lewis and Clark. Lieutenant William Clark set up Camp River Dubois in 1803 just north of St. Louis, the “Gateway to the West,” to train those who took part in the expedition and turn them into an efficient unit.
In 2020, civic leaders sought a way to address decreasing visitor numbers to the landmark destination through a project spanning the arch and site, including a free museum that explains the views and traditions of pioneering and indigenous people. The Gateway Arch Park Foundation oversaw the raising of $250 million in private funding. At the same time, the publicly funded Great Rivers Greenway worked to implement a publicly approved sales tax across the city and county of St. Louis that raised $86 million in additional project funding.
Another PPP example is the $1.3 billion UC Merced 2020 project, which significantly expanded the physical space and capacity on the University of California campus through the addition of classrooms, research facilities, student housing, and recreational and wellness spaces. Civic leaders formed the P3 development consortium, Plenary Properties, which spanned Merced Webcor, equity provider and developer Plenary Group, operations/maintenance provider Johnson Controls Inc., and campus planner Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP. These private entities partnered with UC Merced, a public entity, in envisioning a project that boosted local employment and provided community benefits.
The public and private partners completed UC Merced 2020 much more quickly than otherwise would have been feasible, three-phase on-time and under-budget delivery spanned 2018 to 2020. The successful completion of the project provided an immediate benefit, as the University of California, Merced, had a greater capacity for social distancing during the pandemic, which facilitated the resumption of on-site classes.
The PPP design can vary in many different ways, however, the most common involves making payments over the asset’s lifetime. For example, more visitors to the Gateway Arch generate more revenue that offsets project costs. Similarly, an expanded UC Merced campus would ultimately lead to an increase in tuition-paying students. Private companies receive either a percentage of those profits, reflecting the risk involved, or a percentage of the additional taxes from infrastructure performance gains. Local governments typically retain asset ownership over the long run, with performance-linked profits paid to private investors.
About Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan is a leader in engineering and infrastructure organizations, guiding companies through growth and operational improvement. His background includes executive positions at HDR, Industrial Piping, and Infrastructure Management Group, where he managed sales, operations, and client relations. He has also held senior government roles, contributing to policy development and oversight. With experience across public and private sectors, including work in regions near Cary NC, he offers insight into complex project delivery and organizational strategy.
