Speedo Comes to Long Beach

Pentland Brands will be relocating its North American headquarters from Cypress to Long Beach in summer 2026 – just two years before the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The headquarters will support Speedo – a world-leading swimwear brand known for high-performance innovation and deep Olympic heritage – alongside other Pentland portfolio brands, including Berghaus and Endura.

The new 25,000 square-foot facility will be located at the Aero Long Beach office campus, next to the I-405 and adjacent to Long Beach Airport. It will accommodate more than 130 employees and serve as the central hub for Pentland’s operations. The office space has been designed to foster creativity and teamwork, featuring open, collaboration-oriented office areas alongside dedicated Speedo and Pentland portfolio brand showrooms, product and design engines, and innovation and creative hubs.

Pentland Brands says that it’s excited to be in a city that will play an important part in the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games. It’s also tied to the city of Long Beach’s legacy of supporting the Olympics that goes back to the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics.

“We couldn’t be more excited to move to Long Beach and create a new working environment that truly enhances our vision, values and sense of togetherness. Our new headquarters will bring our brands and our people closer together in the heart of a vibrant, dynamic city. As we look ahead to the LA28 Olympic Games, we’re excited to be part of Long Beach’s future and to support the incredible energy and opportunity that the Olympics will bring to this region,” says Joel Harris, President Americas of Pentland Brands.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Pentland to Long Beach. Their presence reinforces our city’s position as a premier destination for innovative companies and reflects the momentum we’re building as we prepare to host Olympic and Paralympic events in 2028,” said Mayor Rex Richardson in the press release.

Daryl Supernaw, Council member, fourth district, is also happy to see Pentland come to Long Beach and within his district. As for the opening date, Supernaw said that he did speak to Speedo representatives in late January about a ribbon-cutting event, but they have not yet determined a move-in date.

Game Planning Year in Review

The City of Long Beach just released its 2028 Games Planning Year in Review 2025 with a message from Thomas Modica, City Manager on the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As part of community engagement, 27 public presentations and community events were held in 2025 supporting the Olympics. At the mayor’s 2025 State of the City address, the city formally launched four Community Advisory Groups (Arts and Culture, Small Business, Workforce and Economic Inclusion, and Youth Sports) supported by 17 local experts in their fields as co-chairs.

Long Beach is hosting the largest concentration of events beyond the Downtown Los Angeles core. Eleven Olympic and seven Paralympic sports will take place along the city’s waterfront, activating Long Beach for 16 of the 18 days of Olympic competition and featuring 161 ticketed sessions. More than two million ticketed fans are expected to experience events across Downtown, Belmont Shore and Marine Stadium.

Through the city’s Elevate ‘28 initiative, Long Beach is advancing more than $1 billion in infrastructure investments over five years, modernizing transportation, enhancing public spaces and strengthening community amenities. The city expects that these improvements will serve residents and businesses long after the Games, creating a stronger, more connected city.

The 2028 Games website serves as the city’s hub for updates, resources and opportunities related to Long Beach’s role as a Venue City. You can go to that website at https://longbeach.gov/2028games/

Long Beach residents and business owners have expressed concerns about the large crowds that will be showing up at the Olympics events.

“Regarding Long Beach resident concerns, most ask about road construction being completed in time. That’s likely due to the fact that we are doing so many projects (Wardlow, Bellflower, Studebaker, Clark) that it’s the first thing on CD4 (City District 4) residents’ minds,” Supernaw said in an email response.

Speedo has been a major Olympic sponsor over the years, and it has partnerships with the national swimming governing bodies in the U.S., Canada, China and Australia, among others. The Australian swimwear brand traces its origins to 1928.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.