Univ. of New Haven to Break Ground on $45M Business College Building

The University of New Haven will break ground Friday on a four-story, 50,000-square-foot building for its Pompea College of Business, backed by more than $25 million in gifts from two university alumni and their families.

The building will be constructed at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Ruden Street, at the southeast entrance to the university’s West Haven campus. The university has described the site, which sits at a major campus crossroads, as a new gateway to the school.

The Pompea College of Business moved from the university’s satellite campus in Orange to West Haven in fall 2025. The new building will give the college a dedicated home on the main campus.

The principal gifts came from Dennis and Barbara Martin and Charles and Tamera Pompea.

Martin, the former CEO and board chair of Illinois-based Federal Signal Corp., made a $10 million leadership gift to the project in April 2025. In July, the Martins pledged another $5 million challenge gift, which will be fulfilled if other donors collectively match it. The university said it is nearing that goal.

Pompea is the former owner and CEO of Middletown-based Primary Steel and a former owner of the Springfield Falcons hockey team. He is a former chair of the university’s Board of Governors and remains a member of the board.

The building will be named Martin Family Hall. The business college was named for the Pompeas after they made the largest gift in the university’s history.

The project is expected to cost $45 million and open in July 2028, according to the university, which applied to the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission for site plan approval in March.

Planned features include an artificial intelligence, business analytics and financial trading room; an executive boardroom; the Sussman Family Sales Institute; and a classroom for business pitches. The sales institute is supported by a separate seven-figure commitment from entrepreneur David Sussman.

“This pioneering facility is both an investment in the future of business education and a powerful testament to our donors’ strong belief in the university, our vision, and our students’ unlimited potential,” University President Jens Frederiksen said.

Pompea College of Business Dean Brian Kench said the building is designed around hands-on learning.

St. Louis-based Grace Designs is the architect, while Consigli Construction Co. Inc. is the contractor. The project is expected to create about 35 jobs, including an estimated 25 for West Haven residents, according to the university.

The business school project is one of several initiatives supported by more than $100 million in philanthropic commitments the university says it has secured since 2024.

The fundraising also is supporting the university’s move to NCAA Division I athletics and a new campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Founded in 1920, the private university offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate programs. It also has campuses in Riyadh and Tuscany, Italy.

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