American Magic recently hosted a crowd of over 300 enthusiastic attendees as they officially opened their American Magic High Performance Center, an industrial-scale, waterfront headquarters built to chase the fastest sailing on the planet - all while simultaneously launching a new chapter in advanced manufacturing and engineering in Pensacola.
The project certainly has numerous moving pieces and took years to bring to fruition, combining the efforts of the American Magic team and the City of Pensacola. The result of their vision is now evident in a state-of-the-art $20 million facility inside warehouse 10 at the Port of Pensacola.
I sat down with American Magic COO Tyson Lamond, who explained that the 56,000 square foot facility will be home to so much more than high-performance sailing and the technology that powers it. “What makes the facility such an opportunity is what American Magic plans to do here: on the water, on the shop floor, and in entirely new markets that stretch well beyond competitive sailing,” said Lamond. He described the headquarters as an “innovation hub,” a place where elite athletic preparation and precision engineering share the same address. And that address is Pensacola.
The new center is designed for team training, boat development, composite manufacturing, and technical work, all with direct access to Pensacola Bay. Lamond went on to say that these are all necessary ingredients for modern foiling sail racing, where the difference between first and fifth can be measured in fractions of a knot and tiny gains. This competitive edge mindset is a primary reason the team chose Pensacola as their new home base, and why they intend to take that same philosophy to other industries as part of the new center and team base.
To American Magic’s Co-Founder and Team Principal Doug DeVos, sailing is a passion but it’s also a serious business. At this level sailing is as much aerospace as it is seamanship. The boats fly above the water on hydrofoils, and the organizations behind them operate more like Formula One teams than traditional yacht clubs. That’s why American Magic’s choice of Pensacola as their headquarters matters so much: it’s a permanent home that allows the team to design, build, test, and train with year-round continuity. That’s something every top challenger in the world treats as non-negotiable, when they intend to win.
Just as important, this facility is not meant to serve American Magic alone. As part of the recent grand opening announcement, the new center was also named the official North American training base for SailGP teams, under a five-season agreement. This ties Pensacola directly into a global circuit of foiling. Starting in September 2026, SailGP teams are expected to use Pensacola for their on-water and shore-based training, technical development, and performance prep. With these moves it seems Pensacola is quickly becoming an integral part of the infrastructure for the entire sport.
Inside the High Performance Center sits the operational hub for American Magic Services -a platform that applies America’s Cup-grade composite manufacturing and engineering expertise to projects beyond racing. From advanced manufacturing and marine technologies to aerospace projects, American Magic is leveraging the same design and production mindset that produces race yachts. For Pensacola, this is the kind of diversification that can help transform a regional economy. Composite structures, hydrodynamics, simulation, prototyping, and systems integration don’t belong to just one industry. A racing team that can build cutting-edge foils and
components can also consult on performance structures, marine engineering, specialized manufacturing workflows, and next-generation materials challenges. Lamond emphasized that this is exactly the point: to create a company and facility that wins on the water, then translate that culture and know-how into winning advancements for other industries.
American Magic’s move to our area is also a serious employment story. Lamond said the facility will create around 170 high-wage jobs, while Pensacola Mayor DC Reeves emphasized that the project is already tied to internships and workforce development with local higher-ed partners like the University of West Florida. When asked about how these jobs will pay, Mayor Reeves added a detail locals will certainly be happy to hear: the average salary is expected to be over $100,000 annually, and the organization has been clear about sourcing talent locally where
possible. When I asked Lamond how many of these positions will be filled by locals, he told me that he expects 90-95 percent of the jobs to be filled from Pensacola and surrounding areas.
American Magic’s high-powered ambitions are equally matched by the people behind it. The team was formed with principal backing that includes business and sporting heavyweights Doug DeVos (Orlando Magic, Amway) and Roger Penske -along with other principals- bringing the kind of long-view commitment that elite campaigns and companies require to win… whether at business or sporting endeavors.
In short, Pensacola didn’t just land a sailing team. We landed a modern, high-wage technology enterprise with saltwater in its veins and global competition in its sights. I think we can all agree that’s a definite recipe for winning.
We chose Pensacola not only because of the location for sailing, but because of the genuinely friendly people.
Elite athletic preparation and precision engineering share the same address. And that address is Pensacola.